Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Friday that her meeting with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was productive.
In on a post on X, Sheinbaum remarked that the neighboring countries have a good relationship amid growing tensions as U.S. President Donald Trump widens a trade war with tariff announcements.
“We welcomed U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to the National Palace. We had a fruitful meeting with her, benefiting both Mexico and the United States. Our countries maintain a good relationship within a framework of respect for each other’s sovereignty,” her post, translated into English, read.
The U.S. and Mexico discussed further cooperation in migration and security, highlighting “the respect for sovereignty and coordination without subordination” between the two countries, the Mexican government said in a statement.
Rising Popularity
As Mexicans rally against perceived unfair treatment by Donald Trump with his across-the-board tariffs on goods from Mexico, President Sheinbaum remains politically unscathed, with her popularity rising in the face of the economic threats.
Mexico’s economy is undoubtedly vulnerable to a trade war. Trump’s 25% tariffs on Mexican products could lead to export losses of as much as $42 billion and a potential 4% hit to GDP, according to a report by the Wilson Center, a Washington-based think tank.
Trump’s tariffs mark a turning point in U.S.-Mexico relations and more than 30 years of economic integration between the two countries. Both countries are each other’s top trading partners on products ranging from avocados to the automobile sector.
But Sheinbaum’s popularity has risen in the face of Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs and perceived bullying, with her approval ratings reaching 85% according to one recent poll, up 15 points since October.
Increased Surveillance
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has instructed two intelligence agencies to focus their satellite surveillance efforts on the U.S.-Mexico border as part of a comprehensive crackdown on illegal immigration and drug cartels.
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), which are part of the Department of Defense, oversee spy satellites and analyze imagery for the Pentagon and other intelligence organizations.
Their engagement, coupled with troop deployments, shows increasing militarization of the southern border, where President Donald Trump has declared a national emergency.
(With inputs from Reuters)
