General
Latin American Leaders Welcome and Warn Trump
Several chafed at his plans as President Trump enacted immigration measures affecting their countries and vowed to impose tariffs on Mexico and Canada.
In the weeks before he took office, Donald J. Trump repeatedly vowed to carry out the largest deportations in U.S. history and to militarize the border, all while his transition team rebuffed requests from regional leaders to meet over the effects of his promised moves.
He made countries such as Mexico targets of his attacks, claiming migrants were flooding the United States with fentanyl and threatening to enforce devastating tariffs. He also zeroed in on Panama, repeatedly asserting that the country had permitted China to take control, compelling the United States to intervene and reclaim the Panama Canal.
So as Mr. Trump was inaugurated in Washington on Monday, the typical congratulatory messages were also accompanied by some from Latin American leaders that deviated sharply from the usual diplomatic norms.
“There is no reason why Mexico should keep its head down or feel lesser than. We are a great country, a cultural power,” said President Claudia Sheinbaum during her daily morning news conference. “Our relationship with the United States will be one of equals.”
She also tried to reassure unauthorized Mexicans living in the United States who might face removal. “Mexicans are very important to the U.S. economy, and the Trump administration knows it,” Ms. Sheinbaum said. “To our countrymen and women: You are not alone, and you must remain calm.”
Mexico is the country with the highest number of undocumented immigrants in the United States, with around four million Mexicans living there without authorization as of 2022, according to the Pew Research Center.
