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Mexico foreign minister vents 'irritation' at Rex Tillerson

  

Category:  News & Politics

Via:  randy  •  7 years ago  •  6 comments

Mexico foreign minister vents 'irritation' at Rex Tillerson

mexico.jpg

Mexico's foreign minister has expressed "irritation" to President Donald Trump's envoys about recent US policies towards its southern neighbour.

Luis Videgaray said he had told visiting US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that Mexico was worried about respect for immigrants' rights.

Mr Tillerson said in Mexico City that "two strong sovereign countries" would have differences from time to time.

Relations between the neighbours are at their lowest point for decades.

A US plan, unveiled this week, to expel to Mexico all illegal immigrants found crossing the US border regardless of nationality has angered Mexicans most.

The body language at Thursday's meeting between the American and Mexican officials certainly did not suggest that ties had miraculously warmed in the space of a meal and a meeting, but the tone from both sides was more conciliatory than in recent weeks, the BBC's Will Grant reports from Mexico City.

'Hurt feelings'


Speaking first, Foreign Minister Videgaray said rebuilding the relationship would be a long process and would not be easy. He urged all concerned to "overcome the grievances and hurt feelings" to create a relationship based on trust and friendship.

"There's a concern among Mexicans, there's irritation [about] what has been perceived as policies that might be harmful for the Mexicans and for the Mexican industry," he said.

Secretary Tillerson spoke next, saying as a native Texan he had always considered Mexico a "very close neighbour", and echoing his counterpart's spirit of co-operation.

"In a relationship filled with vibrant colours," he said of the two nations, "there will always be differences".

mexico1.jpg

Those differences were complicated further by the Trump administration's new guidelines on deportation of undocumented immigrants, especially those with criminal records.

It fell to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly to reassure his hosts that there would be "no mass deportations" and no use of the US military in immigration enforcement.

That appeared to directly contradict what President Trump had said earlier in the day when he told a meeting of manufacturing CEOs that his administration had been getting "really bad dudes" out of the United States - before specifically stating that it was a "military operation".

Mr Tillerson and Mr Kelly later met Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto behind closed doors before returning to Washington.

The Trump administration issued a new policy on Tuesday targeting millions of illegal immigrants for possible deportation, mirroring a previous executive order signed by the president.

The new policy, which seeks to step up enforcement of existing US immigration laws, widens the net on deportation and speeds up their removal.

It also calls for sending back to Mexico immigrants caught crossing the border illegally, irrespective of where they are from, and deporting anyone charged with, or convicted of, any crime.

President Trump has insisted that Mexico will pay billions for a wall along the US border, which prompted Mr Nieto to cancel a planned Washington visit late last month.

Both US and Mexican officials made no mention of Mr Trump's proposed wall at the news conference on Thursday.

Mr Trump has also ordered a report, due on Friday, listing all foreign aid the US provides to Mexico.

It is unclear why he requested the review, but its inclusion in Mr Trump's executive order on constructing a wall along the southern border suggests he may use it for leverage in negotiations with Mexico.

Mexican officials are also concerned about Mr Trump's pledge to renegotiate trade partnerships between the two countries.

The president has proposed to levy a 20% tax on Mexican imports to pay for a border wall.

Democratic senators urged Mr Tillerson and Mr Kelly to work through tensions with their Mexican counterparts on Thursday.

"We urge you to use your visit to disavow vitriolic rhetoric and forge a strong partnership based on mutual respect with the government of Mexico," the senators wrote in an open letter.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39068021



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Randy
Sophomore Participates
link   seeder  Randy    7 years ago

This article contains two of Trump's most ignorant ideas. The first is to immediately send anyone who crosses our Southern border back to Mexico, regardless of what country they are from. The obvious problem is why in the fuck should Mexico take them? They are not Mexican citizens. The Mexicans as one of two  "strong sovereign countries" should just shove them back across the American borders. They made it into our country from Guatemala or El Salvador or wherever in Central America and once they cross the border into the US they are our problem, not Mexico's. Trump needs to drop that part of the deportation order or there will never be good relations between Mexico and the US and they may retaliate by kicking all DEA agent out of Mexico.

 
 
 
Randy
Sophomore Participates
link   seeder  Randy  replied to  Randy   7 years ago

Ignorant idea number two is a 20% sales tax on imports from Mexico to help pay for the wall. That is one of the most stupid ideas in the world. In the first place according to Internationale trade laws we can not impose a sale tax or tariff on one country. We have to impose it on all imports from everywhere. That means that everything American consumers buy (and yes, they are going to pass the tax on down to the consumer) will be the ones paying for the wall. American consumers will be the ones paying the tax, not Mexico. Why can Trump not get it through his thick skull that the tax does not hurt Mexico or have Mexico pay any amount of money toward a wall that is never going to gt built anyway.

It also means that American consumers will be paying extra taxes on everything else that comes into this country, which means they will spend less. Consumer spending is the engine that drives the American economy and it will drop, causing a recession or maybe even a depression. Like that idea? I don't, but it will happen if Trump is stupid enough to impose this tariff on all incoming goods. We pay that tariff. Not the countries or companies selling in America.

 
 
 
96WS6
Junior Quiet
link   96WS6  replied to  Randy   7 years ago

"The obvious problem is why in the fuck should Mexico take them?"

 

I looked into this Randy.  The agreement is that you take back refugees that CAME FROM YOUR COUNTRY not just citizens.   This means by international agreement Mexico should take back all South/Central Americans they let cross through Mexico and into the US and likewise if Canada wanted to deport those crossing their border from he US they come back here regardless of nationality or legal/illegal status.  

 

Mexico knew what they were doing when they let all those people cross because they didn't want to keep them.   Well they should have turned them away at the border instead of looking the other way (and the only reason they looked the other way is because they knew where they were going)  if the issue is not pressed it will keep happening.

 

So to be crystal clear they should take them back because that is what they at some point agreed to.   I guess if they can change agreements so easily so can we? (think NAFTA)

 
 
 
Kavika
Professor Principal
link   Kavika     7 years ago

Seems that Tillerson's main job will be trying to repair the damage done by his boss. Good luck with that.

 
 
 
Randy
Sophomore Participates
link   seeder  Randy  replied to  Kavika   7 years ago

Trump says something completely stupid (which he seems to do daily) and Tillerson or Mattias or Spicer (that lying prick) has to sweep up the shit after the elephant.

 
 
 
96WS6
Junior Quiet
link   96WS6  replied to  Randy   7 years ago

Yea there were folks that did that for BO too.   How about that?   Trump is right to get tough on immigration with Mexico.  They have been playing the US on that field for decades and it has to stop.

 
 

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