Mexico says it emerged from tariff negotiations in Washington with its ‘dignity intact.’ But that dignity comes at great cost to the migrants fleeing extreme violence in Central America.
Pamela K. Starr, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
The admired US ambassador to Mexico is resigning, even as the two countries spat over trade, immigration and Trump’s tweets. Can this critical diplomatic relationship survive yet another problem?
A brigade of migrants from Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala have interrupted their trek north to stay in Mexico and support earthquake recovery efforts.
From south of the border, Trump seems to be using DACA as a diplomatic weapon in his ongoing power struggle with the Mexican government. That just hurts 800,000 people and helps President Peña Nieto.
The administration’s objectives for NAFTA negotiations with Canada and Mexico, set to begin in August, will do little to help American workers, let alone create shared prosperity across the continent.
President Trump wants to renegotiate or eliminate NAFTA because of its impact on U.S. trade, but the accord is also a cornerstone of continental cooperation on security issues as well.
If the United States withdraws from or significantly alters NAFTA, Mexico has more options than it thinks — and potentially less to lose than its northern neighbour.
In 1954, US Border Patrol’s Operation Wetback promised to deport millions of undocumented Mexicans. It fell far short of its target, but made a mark in the minds of immigrants who lived in fear.
Since World War II, the US and Mexico have successfully worked together on issues like trade and migration. If Trump refuses to treat Mexico as a partner, how bitter will the breakup be?
Professor in Practice on Environmental Innovation, School of Social and Environmental Sustainability, University of Glasgow, UK, National University of Singapore
Theodore E. Gildred Chair in U.S.-Mexican Relations, Professor of Sociology, and Co-Director of the Center for Comparative Immigration Studies, University of California, San Diego