President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected this Friday the idea that the United States’ decision to strengthen security on its southern border by designating certain areas as national defense zones was an agreement with her counterpart Donald Trump to curb migration.
“We are not going to make an agreement of that kind. They have the right to do whatever they want in their country. We also have the right to say we disagree,” the president stated during her morning press conference.
Sheinbaum was referring to the decision of the United States government, which announced earlier this month the creation of a second restricted military zone on the border with Mexico.
Specifically, the Pentagon announced that it would take control of a narrow strip of land along the border, stretching more than 100 kilometers, and that it would become part of the Fort Bliss base near El Paso.
On Thursday, the United States Embassy in Mexico warned migrants that any “unauthorized” person entering certain areas of the country’s southern border will be subject to “fines, arrest, prosecution, and imprisonment.”
In this regard, Sheinbaum expressed her disagreement and noted that migration is “fundamentally” a social issue, insisting that addressing this problem requires development cooperation.
“We have the right to say we disagree, but they have made the decision to increase their military presence on their southern border to prevent migration. We believe the approach should be different, and we always raise it, but in no way, imagine, are we going to agree to something like that.”
The takeover of parts of the southern border by the United States Army adds to the growing presence of the Pentagon in the management of immigration agencies.
The number of people apprehended illegally crossing the US southern border has plummeted since the Republican took office, with fewer than 30,000 arrests in February, compared to 124,000 in December, while former President Joe Biden was still in office.
Since taking office, Donald Trump has militarized the border, ordered raids at various points across the country, revoked immigration benefits for several nationalities, and prompted Mexico to deploy 10,000 National Guard troops to control the flow of drugs and people.
Source: aristeguinoticias
