Mexican president orders review of cooperation with US

Mexico City, Mexico | AFP | Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has ordered his government to carry out a sweeping review of its cooperation with the neighboring United States, his office said Monday, as tensions rise with the Donald Trump administration.

The move comes days after Trump ordered thousands of National Guard troops to the US-Mexican border to help fight what he claims is a large influx of drugs and undocumented migrants.

In reaction, Pena Nieto warned Trump that “threatening attitudes and a lack of respect” were out of line.

Mexico’s presidency, however, told AFP the review of cooperation is routine.

In a Sunday cabinet meeting, Pena Nieto told every federal department to carry out with the foreign ministry “an evaluation of the cooperation mechanisms that each has in place with the federal government of the United States,” his office said in a statement.

There were no details on what aspects of bilateral cooperation would be under review.

Experts have warned that Trump’s attacks on Mexico could jeopardize vital cooperation on security issues, including the joint fight against drug trafficking.

The latest rise in US-Mexican tension began with days of angry tweets from Trump over a caravan of more than 1,000 Central American migrants crossing Mexico toward the United States.

Trump called on the Mexican government to stop them, threatening to axe what he called Mexico’s “cash cow,” the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

The US last year triggered a renegotiation of that deal, which also includes Canada, after Trump called it a “disaster.” Those negotiations continue.

The migrant caravan, however, has now begun breaking up. Organizers announced they would no longer seek to bring the group all the way to the US border. It will end its activities this week with a series of rallies and meetings in Mexico City.

Relations have been tense since Trump won election in 2016 with a campaign heavy on anti-Mexican rhetoric and promises to build a border wall.

Pena Nieto has twice canceled plans to visit Washington over Trump’s ongoing insistence that Mexico pay for the wall.