Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador sent a letter Thursday to President Trump, accusing him of being unwelcoming to immigrants and hurting the United States’ image, in response to Trump announcing tariffs on Mexico unless they stop the influx of illegal immigration.
Obrador said Trump’s America stigmatized and persecuted immigrants while turning the U.S. into a “ghetto.”
“The Statue of Liberty is an empty symbol,” Obrador said. He also took aim at Trump’s “America first” slogan, saying it was a fallacy and that we need to pursue “universal brotherhood.”
The Mexican president’s letter was in response to Trump announcing he was placing a 5% tariff on all Mexican goods until the country dealt with the problem of illegal immigration across the U.S.-Mexico border.
“On June 10th, the United States will impose a 5% Tariff on all goods coming into our Country from Mexico, until such time as illegal migrants coming through Mexico, and into our Country, STOP. The Tariff will gradually increase until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied,” Trump announced Thursday on Twitter.
[Opinion: Trump’s latest Mexico tariff gambit is reckless and mindbogglingly stupid]
Obrador said tariffs were not the solution to illegal immigration.
“President Trump, social problems are not resolved with taxes or coercive measures,” he said, adding he believed a true statesman will look for peaceful solutions.
After attacking the president and his policies in the letter, Obrador announced Mexico would be sending a delegation to the U.S. Friday to try to work out a solution.
