Mexico's Reaction to Trump's Recent Speech: 'A Major Threat to Mexico'

Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for the U.S. presidency, announced on Wednesday, September 1, just hours after returning from his trip to Mexico, that upon entering the White House, he would deport two million undocumented Mexican immigrants with criminal records from the U.S. In response to Trump's latest claim, the President of Mexico stated in an interview that Trump's policies and agenda could pose a 'great threat' to Mexico. This comes after Enrique Peña Nieto, the President of Mexico, had just described his meeting with Trump as 'frank and constructive.' Trump emphasized that the threat of deportation exists for all undocumented immigrants in the U.S., asserting that failing to deport them 'endangers the welfare of the American people.' According to the Associated Press, Trump added, 'Any undocumented immigrant who is arrested for any crime will be immediately deported from the U.S.' He criticized Barack Obama's administration's immigration policies, stressing the need for reform to 'protect all aspects of American life.' According to Agence France-Presse, Trump estimated the number of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. to be around 11 million and stated, 'Our message to the people of the world is that if you enter the United States illegally, you will never become a U.S. citizen.' Trump, whose main campaign slogan is to combat immigration to the U.S., visited Mexico on the afternoon of September 1 and met with the country's president. After returning from this brief trip, during a speech in Phoenix, Arizona, he announced Mexico's cooperation with the U.S. to reduce illegal immigration and efforts to stop the trafficking of weapons and drugs into the U.S. Trump also asserted that building a two-thousand-mile wall on the Mexican border is America's right and stated, 'Believe me, Mexico will pay for the wall.' Trump mentioned that there was no discussion during his trip about who would pay for the wall, but Peña Nieto tweeted that 'at the beginning of the conversation with Donald Trump, I clearly stated that Mexico will not pay for the wall.' The border between the U.S. and Mexico is two thousand miles (about 3200 kilometers) long. The meeting between the Republican nominee and the President of Mexico occurred after this senior executive invited both U.S. presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, for discussions. Trump's campaign referred to his meeting with the Mexican president as 'the first step in negotiation and trust-building.' At the beginning of his campaign, Trump had stated that only 'criminals and sexual predators' come from the Mexican border to the U.S. In contrast, Peña Nieto had compared the Republican nominee's positions to the thoughts of Hitler and Mussolini. However, during their meeting on Wednesday, both adopted a mild tone. The President of Mexico described the negotiations with Trump as 'constructive,' but noted that many people in his country view Trump's statements with 'a negative outlook.' Trump also spoke respectfully about the citizens of Mexico; however, his presence in Mexico faced protests from many citizens of the country.