Social media lit up Wednesday night as critics mocked President-elect Donald Trump over a bold claim about Mexico’s border policies, only to see it refuted by Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo. Earlier in the day, Trump boasted on Truth Social about his apparent diplomatic success with Mexico.
“Just had a wonderful conversation with the new President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo,” he wrote. “She has agreed to stop Migration through Mexico, and into the United States, effectively closing our Southern Border.” He doubled down in a follow-up post, proclaiming, “THIS WILL GO A LONG WAY TOWARD STOPPING THE ILLEGAL INVASION OF THE USA. Thank you!!!”
However, Sheinbaum Pardo quickly countered Trump’s narrative. Posting on X (formerly Twitter), she emphasized Mexico’s humanitarian approach to managing migration, rather than shutting down borders. “Thanks to this, migrants and caravans are assisted before they reach the border,” she wrote. “We reiterate that Mexico’s position is not to close borders but to build bridges between governments and between peoples.”
The president’s sharp rebuttal fueled a wave of criticism online. Political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen pointed out the discrepancy, tweeting: “Trump: Mexico is ‘effectively closing our southern border.’ Mexico: ‘No plan to close the border.’”
Mike Nellis, a former senior adviser to Kamala Harris, chimed in, “Trump thinks he convinced the President of Mexico to stop all migration across the border LOL.” Meanwhile, journalist Sam Stein sarcastically remarked, “All it took was one call. Donny deals.”
The Washington Post’s Catherine Rampell offered a deeper critique, noting Mexico’s significant recent efforts to curb migration. “Mexico has invested huge resources to prevent migrants from reaching the border,” she explained, detailing measures such as military patrols, highway checkpoints, and mass relocations of migrants from northern to southern Mexico.
As I've been saying for months: GOP talking points on the border are woefully out of date. Crossings are way down And having a president with (ahem) good diplomatic relationships has been key to that decline. img.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202…
— Catherine Rampell (@crampell.bsky.social) November 28, 2024 at 8:33 AM
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These efforts, she pointed out, are a key reason why illegal border crossings into the U.S. have dropped by 75%. Rampell further dismissed Republican claims about a border “crisis” as outdated rhetoric. “So Mexico agrees to do the thing it’s already been doing, and Trump claims victory.
Sounds about right,” she quipped. While Trump portrayed the conversation as a landmark achievement, Sheinbaum Pardo’s statement and the critics’ reactions painted a very different picture—one of a complex migration issue requiring cooperation, not unilateral declarations.
Trump thinks he convinced the President of Mexico to stop all migration across the border LOL 🤣
— Mike Nellis (@mikenellis.bsky.social) November 28, 2024 at 6:52 AM
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Trump: Mexico is "effectively closing our southern border." Mexico: "no plan to close border."
— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen.bsky.social) November 28, 2024 at 7:19 AM
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So Mexico agrees to do the thing it's already been doing, and Trump claims victory. Sounds about right
— Catherine Rampell (@crampell.bsky.social) November 28, 2024 at 8:14 AM
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