Mexican President Surati Trump Urges Border To Open

ILLUSTRATION PHOTO via Instagram @ lopezobrador

JAKARTA - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will send a letter to former president Donald Trump explaining the need to open borders. Migrants are said to be irresponsible of drug trafficking in the US.

"I will send a letter to my friend Donald Trump because I don't think he got enough information about immigration issues and the importance of maintaining economic integration between the United States, Mexico and Canada," said Lopez Obrador as quoted by ANTARA from Anadolu, Saturday, July 20.

Although Lopez Obrador has supported Trump for years, the attitude of the anti-immigrant US presidential candidate and the protectionist's economic policy has sparked disputes in bilateral relations between neighboring countries in North America.

With more than 1,250 miles of joint borders, Trump's campaign promises pose risks to Mexico both in terms of immigration and the economy that prompted Lopez Obrador to contact Trump months before the election.

Trump has been accused of turning the US-Mexico border into a political weapon during his campaign and strengthening his anti-immigration stance. Trump also promised to close borders and impose the largest deportation program in US history if re-elected.

"In the migration case, I will show him that migrants do not bring drugs to America which is a heinous lie that migrants go to America to work honestly, and that (the United States) was formed and became a strength thanks to migrants," said Lopez Obrador.

During his first term of office, Trump has often used coercive measures to contain the flow of migration in the Mexican region. The threat of applying tariffs to Mexican goods and other economic pressures resulted in the Mexican government subject to US policies that authorized migrants to Mexico.

In addition, Trump has pledged to withhold production within the US border that has the potential to harm Mexico's exports. As a result, Mexico has increased as a major US trading partner in recent years, resulting in exports of more than $475 billion since early 2024 and a trade surplus in favor of Mexico.

Trump's strict and protective economic policy could hamper plans for economic integration maintained by the Biden administration and the United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade agreement.

"Border closures won't last a month, neither will manufacturers, investors, or US workers," said Lopez Obrador.