Trump Says Mexican President Agreed to Stop Immigration to the U.S.

Donald Trump, the elected President of the United States, announced just days after threatening to impose heavy new tariffs on Mexico and Canada, that the leader of Mexico has agreed to stop illegal immigrants attempting to enter U.S. territory. On the evening of Wednesday, December 7, Mr. Trump wrote on the social media platform 'Truth' that Claudia Sheinbaum, the President of Mexico, during a phone conversation, 'agreed to prevent immigration from Mexico to the United States and effectively close our southern border.' Ms. Sheinbaum had announced the news of this phone call moments before Mr. Trump on the social media platform X, stating that the leaders of the two countries discussed Mexico's 'immigration strategy.' However, she did not mention the issue of closing the border. Following Trump's remarks, Sheinbaum wrote on X that 'Mexico's position is not to close the borders, but to create bridges between governments and communities.' On Monday, Trump had threatened that upon entering the White House on his first day, he would impose heavy new tariffs on imports from three countries: Mexico, Canada, and China. He stated that the purpose of this action was to combat illegal immigration and drug trafficking, saying that a '25 percent tariff' would be imposed on all imported goods from Canada and Mexico, and an 'additional 10 percent tariff' on imported goods from China. The United States is the largest importer of goods in the world, with Mexico, China, and Canada being its three main suppliers. Therefore, economic analysts believe that imposing such tariffs could lead to an increase in prices for nearly all goods in the U.S. Claudia Sheinbaum had also warned hours before her phone conversation with Trump that if the United States imposes the 25 percent tariffs, Mexico would take reciprocal action. The Mexican government has warned that such tariffs could lead to the loss of 400,000 jobs and increased prices for American consumers.