By Tony Bruce and Mary Jones | Wednesday, November 27, 2024 | 5 min read
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has delivered a powerful rebuke to Donald Trump that stands as a lesson in how to confront his threats and the MAGA rhetoric head-on. European leaders, and others facing Trump’s tactics, could learn from her approach.
Trump’s recent threat—announced via a Truth Social rant cloaked in faux-diplomatic language—vowed to impose 25 percent tariffs on all U.S. imports from Mexico if the country doesn’t stop migrants and fentanyl from “pouring” into the United States. While many see this as a bluff aimed at pressuring Mexico to act, allowing Trump to later withdraw the tariffs and claim victory, Sheinbaum’s response exposes the foundation of his threat: a blatant lie.
Trump’s accusation implies that Mexico is doing nothing to curb migration or drug trafficking, which is demonstrably false. Mexico has taken significant steps to address these issues, yet Trump’s rhetoric paints a misleading picture to justify extreme measures. This tactic offers a preview of how Trump plans to manipulate voters with falsehoods to advance his agenda on tariffs and immigration.
Sheinbaum’s unflinching stance cuts through Trump’s theatrics, refusing to allow his distortions to go unchallenged. Her leadership provides a roadmap for countering Trump’s bluster with truth, strength, and clarity—something the global community will need if his threats escalate.
Amid the debates over Trump’s latest tariff threat, one crucial fact is being overlooked: it’s built on a lie. The premise behind Trump’s ultimatum—claiming that Mexico is doing nothing to curb migration—is blatantly false. This misrepresentation serves as a smokescreen for his broader agenda, a glimpse into how he may manipulate voters with falsehoods to justify extreme measures on tariffs and immigration.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum wasted no time exposing this distortion. In her sharp response to Trump’s threat, she not only highlighted Mexico’s efforts but turned the spotlight back on the U.S. She pointed out that American guns trafficked into Mexico are fueling gang violence that supports drug flows into U.S. markets. “Tragically, it is in our country that lives are lost to the violence resulting from meeting the drug demand in yours,” Sheinbaum stated, emphasizing the shared responsibility for cross-border challenges and the need for cooperation over confrontation.
Her remarks stand as a stark indictment of Trump’s confrontational worldview. She also added a vital, overlooked point:
“You may not be aware that Mexico has developed a comprehensive policy to assist migrants from different parts of the world who cross our territory en route to the southern border of the United States. As a result, and according to data from your country’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP), encounters at the Mexico-United States border have decreased by 75% between December 2023 and November 2024.”
This unassuming yet powerful statement not only dismantles Trump’s narrative but underscores Mexico’s ongoing efforts to address migration—a reality that his rhetoric conveniently ignores. It’s a reminder that cooperation, not confrontation, is the only path forward in addressing complex challenges that transcend borders.
Mexico is already taking significant action to curb the flow of migrants traveling through its territory toward the U.S. southern border—a fact often ignored in public discourse. As President Claudia Sheinbaum pointed out, these efforts are a major reason why border apprehensions in the U.S. have dropped sharply in recent months.
Ironically, Sheinbaum used U.S. government statistics to underscore this point. That’s particularly striking because Trump refuses to acknowledge the reality reflected in his own country’s data. Throughout his campaign, he perpetuated the false narrative of an “open” border being overwhelmed by an unprecedented invasion. This claim persisted even as apprehension numbers plummeted, dipping to levels comparable to—and in some cases lower than—those seen during his presidency.
In fact, November apprehension figures under Biden hit a new low, lower than some months during Trump’s time in office. Much of this progress can be attributed to Mexico’s active role.
Adam Isacson, a migration expert with the Washington Office on Latin America, highlighted this with a chart based on Mexican government data. It revealed that Mexican authorities have been apprehending tens of thousands of migrants traveling toward the U.S. border each month—at times exceeding 100,000. This extensive effort, often overlooked in Trump’s rhetoric, has played a crucial role in reducing the pressure on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Sheinbaum’s use of these facts sheds light on an inconvenient truth: Mexico has been a key partner in addressing migration challenges, while Trump’s narrative ignores this reality to stoke fear and advance his agenda.
Another key factor keeping illegal border crossings down is Biden’s CBP One app, which allows migrants to schedule appointments to enter the U.S. temporarily through lawful programs in an orderly manner. This program has significantly contributed to reducing crossings. Yet Trump has vowed to end it—not because it undermines border security, but because it facilitates immigration, which clashes with his primary goal: fewer immigrants in the U.S., regardless of how they arrive.
The facts tell a different story. As documented by The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, Mexico is actively employing extensive security measures to intercept migrants headed for the U.S. border and transport them back south through the country. Mexican officials refer to this operation as “El Carrousel,” or “the merry-go-round.”
Experts credit Biden’s quiet diplomacy with Mexico’s previous president for fostering this cooperation. Combined with Biden’s stricter asylum policies and the CBP One app, these efforts have been instrumental in driving this year’s lower border apprehension numbers. As Adam Isacson from the Washington Office on Latin America explains, “If Trump wants Mexico to crack down on unauthorized migration through its territory, then Biden has already gotten Mexico to do that to a greater extent than anyone has ever done before. And he did it without tariffs.”
During his campaign, Trump simply ignored these achievements, crafting a narrative that Mexico isn’t cooperating and needs to be bullied into action. This is one of MAGA’s biggest deceptions. Trump’s latest tariff threat builds on this lie, painting Mexico as doing nothing and exploiting the U.S., when in reality, extensive bilateral efforts are already yielding significant results. His bluster obscures the truth: cooperation, not confrontation, has been far more effective.
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