In an unexpected turn of events, Donald Trump, the pending 47th President of the United States, has already made progress in tackling the issue of illegal immigration. Trump shared some insight into his recent actions on Truth Social, before he sat down to enjoy Thanksgiving. He reportedly had a fruitful dialogue with Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, the newly elected President of Mexico. She concurred to put a halt to immigration traveling through Mexico and towards the United States, effectively sealing our southern border. They also discussed various strategies to counteract the overwhelming influx of drugs into the United States and its consumption by U.S. citizens.
This conversation seems to be promising, considering the role of Mexico in curbing the unrestrained migration by intervening at their end. However, subsequent reports suggest that President Sheinbaum may have attempted to soften the impact of her agreement, or at least that’s the interpretation of the media, as observed in Forbes. It appears Trump and Sheinbaum delved deeper into the issue of how to cut down the large-scale illegal drug trafficking into the United States – a challenge Trump had previously associated with Mexico.
Earlier in the week, Trump had threatened to impose a hefty 25% tariff on all imports from Mexico as a measure to battle this menace. Shortly after their chat, Sheinbaum publicized her conversation with Trump, stating it was an ‘excellent call’. She went on to highlight Mexico’s tactics to handle migration issues, assuring him that no caravans would be reaching the U.S. southern border as they would be dealt with within Mexico itself.
President Sheinbaum’s subsequent social media post echoed the details shared by Trump in his own dispatch. She clarified her nation’s ‘holistic strategy’ to manage the migration issue while adhering to basic human rights. While this essentially aligns with Trump’s comments, some media outlets seem to interpret it as Mexico not intending to push beyond their current measures to prevent northbound migration.
President Sheinbaum assured that no migrant caravans would reach the U.S., which is one of the main intentions behind Trump’s tariff threat that aims to incite increased collaboration from neighboring countries. In other words, countries like Canada and Mexico cannot consistently sidestep responsibility and expect the United States to shoulder the burden of illegal immigrants.
Both Canada and Mexico are expected to contribute towards addressing their immigration problems. The use of tariffs isn’t a lasting aspect of Trump’s international relations agenda. Rather, tariffs serve as a negotiation tool. Trump advocates for reciprocal and equitable trade, which demands fairness from all parties involved.
Mexico was indeed amenable to work on immigration before the changes ushered in by the Biden administration, essentially reopening the immigration floodgates. Trump’s direct and clear strategy involves escalating tariff threats, with a solid readiness to follow through if necessary.
The Mexican economy heavily depends on the United States as they consume a majority of Mexico’s exports. Thus, Trump’s strategy is simple yet impactful. Initially, Trump would threaten to levity severe 25% tariffs, enough to debilitate their economy.
In response to these threats, the President of Mexico would predictably retaliate with proposed tariffs of their own. However, considering the fact that a significant 30% of their economy relies on exports to the U.S., while only 2% of the U.S. economy deals with exports to Mexico, she would inevitably concede within a couple of days.
During this recent discourse, Trump exhibited his negotiation skills, identifying the appropriate strategies and measures with different nations to prompt them into action. While the talks apparently led to some agreements, it remains to be seen how effectively these will be implemented in the real world, away from the screens of social media and in the face of possible criticisms.
The significance of the agreed propositions goes beyond the initial discourse of Trump and Sheinbaum. This conversation might be a first step towards curbing the pressing issues of illegal immigration and drug inflow. It opens the door to future negotiations involving reciprocity and cooperative strategies on international relations and import-export policies.
The entire scenario also highlights the role of tariffs as a negotiation weapon, not necessarily a long-term policy. These tariff threats hold significant potency in spurring other nations to cooperate and possibly adapt their policies or practices to preserve economic stability. In the end, it’s less about the conflict and more about fostering mutual understanding and cooperation.