During a recent interview, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador warned that the immigration crisis at America’s southern border “will continue” if the Biden administration refuses his demands.
The comments were made during a 60 Minutes interview on Sunday, March 24, during which he told host Sharyn Alfonsi that building a wall along the border of the United States and Mexico “doesn’t work.” He claimed that this is known by both former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, who will likely be up for a rematch in the upcoming presidential election in November.
The apparent threat that the uncontrollable flood of illegal immigrants will continue comes as illegal immigration is one of the top issues for American voters ahead of the election. As the border crisis persists, Obrador has not cooperated with efforts to manage the issue.
During the 60 Minutes interview, the Mexican president said that “the flow of migrants…will continue” if the Biden administration does not meet his demands. He added that the only reason the massive number of illegal immigrants arriving between December and January fell compared to the rest of the year was due to his intervention.
However, Obrador threatened to stop his actions—which included efforts to dissuade mass migration from Mexico into the United States—if the left-wing American president did not accommodate certain requests.
Alfonsi asked the Mexican president what would happen if the Biden administration did not “do the things that you said need to be done,” to which Obrador said the “flow” of illegal immigrants will persist. Further questioned about whether his statements were considered “diplomatic blackmail,” he said that he was merely “speaking frankly.”
The president insisted that his nation has “to say things as they are,” which is something that he has “always” done.
In January, Obrador demanded that Biden and his administration provide his team with $20 billion to assist with the management of the ongoing immigration issue. He requested the funds in order to support the efforts to curb immigration issues in Latin America. Mexico has also been faced with record high numbers of people migrating through Central America as well as Mexico as they make their way to the United States.
Additionally, Obrador requested visas be given to up to 10 million Hispanic illegal immigrants who have been working in the country for over a decade. These demands were reiterated by the Mexican president during yesterday’s interview, as well as requests to lift embargo sanctions on both Venezuela and Cuba.
The president of Mexico’s proposal for stemming immigration includes:
– The U.S. commit $20 billion a year to poor countries in Latin America and the Caribbean
-Lift sanctions on Venezuela
-End the Cuban embargo
-Legalize law-abiding Mexicans living in the U.S. pic.twitter.com/rmJ1j78SxQ— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) March 24, 2024
