News / Politics

Mexico puts US ties under review in response to Trump's 'antagonistic attitude'

Tuesday, 10 April 2018 12:45 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 10 April 2018 5:00 AM ]

Prototype US-Mexico border walls stand in this aerial photograph taken over San Diego, California, US, on Monday, Oct. 30, 2017 (Photo by Bloomberg)

Mexico says it will review all forms of cooperation with the United States, as Texas and Arizona pledge to send 1,300 National Guard members to the border with Mexico.

In a sign of mounting frustration over President Donald Trump's antagonistic attitude toward Mexico, President Enrique Pena Nieto gave the review order to his cabinet in a meeting on Sunday after a week of heightened bilateral tensions, during which he rebuked Trump for repeatedly attacking Mexico.

Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said the review would cover all aspects of bilateral relationship, ranging from border security and migration to trade and the fight against drug gangs.

Mexico has long been identified as the leading transshipment point for illicit drugs entering the US market.

"Donald Trump has to understand that he must stop threatening, blackmailing and lying in the relationship if he wants Mexico to carry on cooperating on things that matter to him," said Laura Rojas, head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a member of the opposition National Action Party.

Arizona, Texas deploy troops to border

Meanwhile, Arizona and Texas announced Friday that they would send 400 National Guard members to the US-Mexico border by next week, and on Monday pledged to send 1,300 more National Guard members to the border.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said he would add about 300 troops a week to the 250 members of the National Guard whose deployment was announced Friday until the total number reaches at least 1,000 troops. Arizona officials announced they were sending 225 National Guard members to the border Monday and pledged to deploy another 113 on Tuesday.

In this Friday, Jan. 19, 2007 file photo, a National Guard unit patrols the Arizona-Mexico border in Sasabe, Ariz. (Photo: AP)

Abbot said that based on his conversations with Donald Trump and other officials, there is no end date to the deployment.

"We may be in this for the long haul," he said.

New Mexico's Republican governor, Susana Martinez, has said her state would take part in the operation too, but no announcement has been made on deployment numbers.

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