Well, that didn't take long. Shortly after President Trump signed executive orders aimed at immigration, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto ...well ...he kind of freaked out.
Hours after U.S. President Donald Trump signed executive orders to curb illegal immigration, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto promised Wednesday night to protect Mexicans in the United States.
"Where there is a Mexican migrant at risk that requires our support, your country should be there," Peña Nieto said in a brief address to his nation, which he said was a response to Trump's actions earlier in the day.
"Our communities are not alone," Peña Nieto said. "The Mexican Government will provide them with the legal advice, which guarantees the protection they require."
The U.S. has a 60 billion dollar trade deficit with Mexico. It has been a one-sided deal from the beginning of NAFTA with massive numbers...
Nieto also said that "the 50 Mexican consulates in the United States will become authentic advocates for the rights of migrants" and that "Mexico offers and demands respect as the fully sovereign nation we are."
Word is that the Mexican President is so outraged that he's mulling a plan to skip meeting with President Trump, which is scheduled for next week.
Trump responded by basically saying "Ok, cool. Go ahead. Cancel."
Mexican President demands 'respect' from Trump, threatens to cancel meeting - Trump calls his bluff
In other words, if you're not going to play ball, there's no reason to put our team on the field.
This is a signature Trump move. As he's said - many times - in the past: when you're negotiating, you must be willing to walk away. If you're not, you have no power in the proceedings.
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It's a lesson the previous President either never learned, or never cared about. If you make a red line, you'd better be willing to stick with it, or your opponents will own you for the remainder of your tenure.
The essential point here is this: If President Nieto thinks "Mexico offers and demands respect as the fully sovereign nation we are," then they should start acting like a sovereign nation. Sovereign nations enforce their laws, control their borders, and deal with their own internal strife. They don't use the country next door as a piggy bank, a holding tank for their problems, or a welfare provider.
When Mexico starts handling itself like a good neighbor, the United States will be more than willing to treat it as such. Until then, it's awfully nice to see that we finally have a President who's willing to keep promises, stand his ground, and refuses to kow-tow.
For now, President Nieto's bluff has been called. We'll see how it plays out.
