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NY Times, Oct. 8, 2019
Trump: ‘I’m Using Mexico’
By Jorge Ramos
Mr. Ramos is an anchor for the Univision network and the author of
“Stranger: The Challenge of a Latino Immigrant in the Trump Era.”
MIAMI — “I’m using Mexico to protect our border.” Millions of Americans
didn’t even notice this recent remark made by President Trump. But
Mexicans certainly did. They thought Mr. Trump’s words were a blatant
attack on their nation’s sovereignty.
Still, while the president’s statement was arrogant and offensive, it’s
actually true. Mr. Trump made his comment about the border on Sept. 26,
just two days after Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House,
launched a formal impeachment inquiry that could lead to the president’s
removal from office. Yet sandwiched between the constant “witch hunt”
accusations, Mr. Trump managed to say something that hit a raw nerve.
“I want to thank Mexico,” Mr. Trump continued. “Twenty-seven thousand
soldiers they have. But think of how bad that is — think of it — where
we use Mexico because the Democrats won’t fix our broken immigration
system.”
Almost 400,000 people have watched a video I posted on Twitter of Mr.
Trump saying this. Some felt humiliated by the president’s statement.
After all, a friend wouldn’t say to another friend that he’s using him,
much less say it in public.
But President Andrés Manuel López Obrador of Mexico (or AMLO, as he’s
known) didn’t see it that way. “There’s nothing we should be ashamed
of,” he said at a news conference. “We protect Mexico’s sovereignty. At
the same time, we try to avoid confrontation.”
A salient feature of Mexico’s current foreign policy is precisely AMLO’s
reluctance to confront anyone outside of the country. In short, American
officials say what they want, and Mexico — almost always — goes along
with it. The relationship between the two nations is by no means an
egalitarian one. In fact, it poses a threat to Mexico: Mr. Trump has
previously warned that he would impose tariffs if Mexico didn’t back his
immigration agenda.
Mexico may not have paid for the president’s wall, but the country has,
in effect, become Mr. Trump’s immigration police force. Mexico itself
has become the wall.
Recently the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Mexico triumphantly
announced a 56 percent decline in the number of Central American
immigrants crossing Mexican territory between May and August. Why would
Mexico force an entire family from Honduras or El Salvador to stay in
Matamoros or Ciudad Juárez, if the United States is where they really
want to go? The answer, sadly, is clear: Because that is exactly what
the American government wants. Mexico is accepting tens of thousands of
immigrants that Mr. Trump is refusing to take in. Mexico is now the
United States’ safety valve.
Mexico’s president “basically, has accepted all terms and conditions”
set by the United States, Armando Santacruz, president of Mexico United
Against Crime, told me in an interview. “Yes, we are the wall. And
[Mexico’s] National Guard is now spending a lot if its resources keeping
immigrants away.”
I don’t know where Mr. Trump came up with the 27,000 soldiers figure.
Perhaps he was referring to the number of National Guard (or Guardia
Nacional) troops currently protecting the Mexican border with Guatemala
as part of an effort to prevent Central Americans from entering the
country en route to the United States. The National Guard was never
meant to serve as an immigration agency for the United States. It was
created to combat crime in Mexico — something it has failed to do thus far.
But Mexico is not only using the National Guard to turn away Central
Americans. It has also agreed to accept immigrants who are seeking
asylum in the United States while their applications are being
processed. The country is basically America’s waiting room.
The Trump administration has placed great pressure on the Mexican
economy to get what officials want, precisely at a time when financial
indicators suggest a recession could be looming.
Even so, we are talking about sovereignty, about dignity and basic
respect for human rights, under circumstances where the safety of people
fleeing gangs, violence and extreme poverty is at stake. Mexico should
never forget that for decades it was an “immigrant exporter.” Now it
must treat Central Americans with the same care and respect it has
always demanded for Mexicans living in the United States.
It’s true: President Trump is using Mexico. And, against all logic,
Mexico is letting him get away with it. This has to change.
What can Mexico do? It must refuse to be Mr. Trump’s wall, to be the
United States’ waiting room and safety valve. Mexico must re-embrace its
honorable tradition of protecting the persecuted and most vulnerable,
whether they’re fleeing civil war in Spain or crime and hunger in
Central America.
To President López Obrador, I say this: It is a mistake to place bets on
Mr. Trump. This is something all his former friends have learned the
hard way. Do you really want to be associated with the policies of a
president who, according to a recent report in The Times, suggested
shooting migrants at the border in the legs? Why haven’t Mexicans taken
to the streets in outraged protest?
Mr. Trump is on the wrong side of history. When he finally leaves
office, his accomplices and partners, inside and outside the United
States, will be judged harshly for their misdeeds.
There is still time to do the right thing.
Jorge Ramos is an anchor for the Univision network, a contributing
opinion writer and the author of, most recently, “Stranger: The
Challenge of a Latino Immigrant in the Trump Era.”
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