Mexico rejects US President Donald Trump’s ‘unilateral’ move on immigration

People line up to cross the international bridge on the US/Mexico border in Nuevo Laredo on February 22, 2017 northern Mexico. (Photos by AFP)

The government of Mexico rejects any “unilateral” measures by the administration of President Donald Trump on immigration.

Mexico’s Wednesday reaction followed the US Homeland Security’s unveiling of new details in the administration’s crackdown on immigrants.

According to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly (pictured below), the new executive order emphasizes “the mission of intercepting irregular immigrants from many countries on our borders, treat them humanely and return them to their countries of origin as fast as possible."

But Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray asserted that guidelines issued by the department on Monday, as part of Trump's new order, are not acceptable.

"I want to say clearly and emphatically that the government of Mexico and the Mexican people do not have to accept provisions that one government unilaterally wants to impose on the other," Videgaray told reporters in Mexico City. "We also have control of our borders and we will exercise it fully."

Meanwhile, Kelly and the top American diplomat, Sate Secretary Rex Tillerson (pictured below), went to the southern neighbor to discuss the situation.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said he expected a "great discussion" with the Mexicans, describing ties with the country as “phenomenal.”

"It's significant that the president is sending the secretaries to Mexico so early in the administration. It's symbolic of the meaningful relationship that our two nations have," Spicer told reporters on Wednesday. "These are important meetings regarding the president's agenda to improve the quality of lives for both people of Mexico and the United States by combating drug traffickers and finding ways to bolster both our economies through a broader relationship that promotes commerce and legal immigration."

Several US officials have so far rejected the idea that the guidelines, signed by Kelly, are tantamount to mass deportation of undocumented immigrants.

Since Trump’s grip on power after the 2016 presidential vote, ties between US and Mexico have been centered on the new president’s proposal to build a wall on the southern border and force Mexico to pay for it.

According to Spicer, Trump’s new executive order will be issued "sometime next week."

Trump’s first order for travel bans on seven Muslim-majority countries was suspended via a federal court ruling.

It aimed at imposing a 90-day entry ban on citizens from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya and Somalia, block refugees from Syria indefinitely, and suspend all refugee admissions for 120 days.