Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump met with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto in Mexico City on August 31, accepting an invitation issued by Peña Nieto last week. The visit stimulated much interest, since stopping illegal immigration from Mexico by building a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border and conducting mass deportations of illegal immigrants have been key parts of Trump’s campaign.
Shortly after leaving Mexico, Trump delivered a speech on the subject of illegal immigration in Phoenix, Arizona.
Fox News quoted Trump’s post-meeting statement: “We had a very substantive, direct and constructive exchange of ideas.”
ABC News reported that Peña Nieto spoke first, speaking in Spanish through a translator, saying that Mexico will be a good neighbor to the United States and that the countries will work together as “strategic allies.”
“We must always be open to talk about what has worked and what hasn’t,’ said Mexico’s president, continuing by noting that his country and the United States will have a “relationship based on mutual respect.” He said that during their private meeting he told Trump he would stand by Mexicans “wherever they are.”
Peña Nieto said of Trump that “we may not be in agreement on a number of subjects,” but the two countries are important to each other. He said the purpose of Trump’s visit was to meet and talk about their views and described their meeting as “very open and constructive.”
After his meeting with Peña Nieto, Trump said, “I was straightforward in presenting my views about the impacts of current trade and immigration policies on the United States,” adding that “We are united by our support of Mexicans.”
“I have a tremendous feeling for Mexican-Americans not only in terms of friendship but also in terms of the numbers I employ,” Trump said. “I am proud to say how many people I employ.”
Fox News quoted Trump’s statement to reporters: “We did discuss the wall. We didn’t discuss payment of the wall.”
He also said that he and Mexico’s president agreed that either country has a “right” to build such a border barrier.
After the meeting, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto tweeted that he made it clear “that Mexico will not pay for the wall.”
Fox also observed that Trump’s opponent for the White House, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, critcized Trump’s trip during an August 31 visit to the American Legion convention in Cincinnati.
“It certainly takes more than trying to make up for a year of insults and insinuations by dropping in on our neighbors for a few hours and then flying home again,” Clinton said. “That is not how it works.”
After leaving Mexico, Trump went immediately to Phoenix, where he delivered an hour-long speech that reinforced his well-known, anti-illegal immigration positions. VOA News, in a report about Trump’s visit to Phoenix, noted that “Arizona, where Trump is speaking after returning from Mexico, has for years been a focal point of U.S. efforts to curb the stream of illegal immigrants into the country.”
Speaking in Phoenix, Trump stated right from the outset that he was not going to deliver “a normal rally speech,” but was “going to deliver a detailed policy address on one of the greatest challenges facing our country today: immigration.”
Talking about his visit with Mexico’s president, Trump observed that Peña Nieto is a man he likes and respects very much — “a man who truly loves his country. Just like I am a man who loves the United States.”
Trump first spoke of the things with which he and Peña Nieto agreed: “the importance of ending the illegal flow of drugs, cash, guns and people across our border, and to put the cartels out of business.”
He said they had “also discussed the great contributions of Mexican-American citizens to our two countries, my love for the people of Mexico, and the close friendship between our two nations.”
After noting that he and Peña Nieto had “a thoughtful and substantive conversation,” Trump went on to emphasize the need to fix our immigration system, by changing our leadership in Washington. As for what is wrong with the current system, Trump said:
The fundamental problem with the immigration system in our country is that it serves the needs of wealthy donors, political activists and powerful politicians. Let me tell you who it doesn’t serve: it doesn’t serve you, the American people.
When politicians talk about immigration reform, they usually mean the following: amnesty, open borders, and lower wages.
Immigration reform should mean something else entirely: it should mean improvements to our laws and policies to make life better for American citizens.
After stating that Hillary Clinton “has pledged amnesty in her first 100 days, and her plan will provide Obamacare, Social Security and Medicare for illegal immigrants” and also “promises uncontrolled low-skilled immigration that continues to reduce jobs and wages for American workers,” and she has a plan “to bring in 620,000 new refugees in a four-year term,” Trump continued:
Now that you’ve heard about Hillary Clinton’s plan — about which she has not answered a single substantive question — let me tell you about my plan.
Trump contrasted his plan with Clinton’s by asserting that her plan was created with help from “donors and lobbyists,” while his was crafted with input from federal immigration officers, immigration experts, lawmakers, and “the people directly impacted by these policies.” He then proceeded to outline his nine-part plan, which includes:
• “Number One: We will build a wall along the Southern Border.”
• “Number Two: End Catch-And-Release. Under my administration, anyone who illegally crosses the border will be detained until they are removed out of the country.”
• “Number Three: Zero tolerance” for the “at least two million criminal aliens now inside the country.”
• “Number Four: Block funding for Sanctuary Cities.”
• “Number Five: Cancel unconstitutional executive orders and enforce all Immigration laws,” and “immediately terminate President Obama’s two illegal executive amnesties, in which he defied federal law and the Constitution to give amnesty to approximately five million illegal immigrants.”
• “Number Six: We are going to suspend the issuance of Visas to any place where adequate screening cannot occur…. Countries from which immigration will be suspended would include places like Syria and Libya.”
• “Number Seven: We will ensure that other countries take their people back when we order them deported.”
• “Number Eight: We will finally complete the biometric entry-exit visa tracking system.”
• “Number Nine: We will turn off the jobs and benefits magnet.”
Trump ended his immigration speech by inviting “Angel Moms” onto the stage. “Angel Moms” are mothers (or fathers) who have lost family members to crimes committed by people living in the United States illegally.
Photo of Donald Trump: AP Images
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