Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum pushed back on President-elect Trump’s claim suggesting Mexico agreed to close its border with the U.S. “effectively immediately.”
“In our conversation with President Trump, I explained to him the comprehensive strategy that Mexico has followed to address the migration phenomenon, respecting human rights,” Sheinbaum wrote Wednesday evening in a post on social platform X, according to translation from CNN.
“Thanks to this, migrants and caravans are assisted before they arrive at the border,” she added. “We reiterate that Mexico’s position is not to close borders but to build bridges between governments and between peoples.”
Her remarks were in response to Trump’s post on Truth Social Wednesday after a call with Sheinbaum.
“Mexico will stop people from going to our Southern Border, effective immediately,” Trump wrote. “THIS WILL GO A LONG WAY TOWARD STOPPING THE ILLEGAL INVASION OF THE USA. Thank you!!!”
Trump, following the call, said the conversation between the two leaders was “productive.”
“Just had a wonderful conversation with the new President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo,” he wrote in a separate post on the platform. “She has agreed to stop Migration through Mexico, and into the United States, effectively closing our Southern Border.”
“We also talked about what can be done to stop the massive drug inflow into the United States, and also, U.S. consumption of these drugs,” he continued. “It was a very productive conversation!”
Sheinbaum agreed that it was an “excellent conversation” in a post on X.
The talks also follow Trump’s announcement that he would issue an executive order imposing fresh tariffs on Chinese, Canadian and Mexican goods at the start of his next term.
Under the tariff plan, he said he would enact 25 percent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods, while adding an extra 10 percent tariff on Chinese goods. The aim of the tariffs, according to Trump, is to press the countries to increase their efforts on border security and combating fentanyl exports to the U.S.
“Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long simmering problem. We hereby demand that they use this power, and until such time that they do, it is time for them to pay a very big price!” the president-elect said in his announcement.
The Mexican president threatened counter-tariffs in response.
“One tariff would be followed by another in response, and so on until we put at risk common businesses,” she said at the time.
The Hill has reached out to the Trump transition team for comment.
