Mexico’s President: 'We will not pay for Donald Trump's border wall'

David Gardner10 February 2017

Mexico’s President has flat out denied that his country had any intention of paying for Donald Trump’s border wall.

President Enrique Pena Nieto hit out just hours after Mr Trump outlined his plan to build a wall along America’s border with Mexico and insisted it wouldn’t cost America a penny.

In a recorded address televised nationally, Mr Pena Nieto said: “I regret and reject the decision of the US to build the wall.

“Mexico does not believe in walls,” he added. “I've said time again; Mexico will not pay for any wall.”

Mr Pena Nieto didn’t say if he was considering cancelling his planned visit to Washington next week as a protest over Mr Trump’s executive order to begin building the wall “immediately”.

He ended his choreographed message by saying that Mexico doesn’t want to cut off its ties with the US as long as the relationship between the two countries is based on mutual respect.

Wall pledge: Donald Trump admitted US taxpayers will pay for the wall at first
AP

"Mexico offers its friendship to the people of the United States and expresses its wish to arrive at agreements with its government, deals that will be in favour of Mexico and the Mexicans,” he said.

Meanwhile Mexico's former President, Vicente Fox, started using a hashtag #f***ingwall to insist his country would not pay for the construction.

Mr Trump’s promised crackdown on immigration began in earnest yesterday when he signed two executive orders to back up his campaign pledges to take action to keep illegal immigrants out of the country.

As well as cementing his determination to build a barrier along America’s southern border with Mexico, the President defunded so-called “sanctuary cities” like Los Angeles, New York and Chicago.

“A nation without borders is not a nation,” Mr Trump told Department of Homeland Security employees after signing the orders. “Beginning today the United States of America...gets back its borders.”

To combat the immigration “crisis,” he gave DHS the authority to hire another 5,000 border patrol officers and triple its roster of immigration enforcement agents.

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For “too long” immigration official and border patrol agents 'haven't been allowed to properly do their jobs, he said, adding: “That's all about to change. And I'm very happy about it, and you're happy about it.”

Immigration laws will be “enforced and enforced strongly,” he added.

He said later that he expects the US relationship with Mexico to improve as a result of his actions because the “unprecedented surge” of illegal immigrants is bad for both countries.

“It's going to be very, very good for Mexico,” he said of his plans. He added that he's looking forward to meeting with the Mexican president next week for the first time as President - and the second time since the start of his campaign - to discuss the measures.

“I want to emphasize that we will be working in particular with our friends in Mexico to improve safety and economic opportunity on both sides of the border,” he maintained. “I have deep admiration for the people of Mexico.”

To get the wall project off the ground, Mr Trump said the American taxpayer will be footing the bill for the border wall “for the sake of speed.”

“We're going to be starting those negotiations relatively soon. And we will be, in a form, reimbursed by Mexico,” he told ABC News in an interview.

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