Mexico foreign minister reported to Washington DC and spoke with General Kelly and Jared Kushner. Today Videgaray in New York.
Mexico's foreign minister, Luis Videgaray, is in New York to speak on DACA. Paying lip service to the movement has become crucial for Mexico's embattled PRI for two reasons. The first is that the PRI would like to placate a growing Mexico based protest movement that is increasingly connected with US' youth. The second motive is that a 'non-clean' DACA bill, as currently implemented, ensures that a class of people continues a flow remittances into Mexico without wielding influence (since there are travel restrictions) associated with Obama's temporary reprieve from deportation.
TweetYesterday, Luis Videgaray, Mexico's foreign minister reported to Washington DC and spoke with General Kelly and Jared Kushner about NAFTA. NAFTA in its current form is increasingly important for Mexico's PRI (Insitutional Revolutionary Party) as many have equity in both sides of the border. They have secured a stable labor pool with low inflation in wages for decades. Certain amednments jeapordize this ability to profit. Particularly, tariffs on automative parts will make Mexico's maquiladoras obselete with respect to US markets. Mexico is being forced to up wages or abandon US manufacturers who exploit Mexico's workers thanks to local government appeasement.
To the Mexican government's credit, Trump administration officials have layed out unreasonable demands fixated on the size of a trade deficit - the net number of good imported from Mexico - without measuring the net amount of income received by US based enterprises. Videgaray has likely sought clarification. Government procurement of goods would have to be matched on a one to one basis if NAFTA is continued. However, Mexico and Canada have smaller economies, while other countries have no such restrictions on their ability to provide services to the US government. Arbitrary, defensive and outright hostile are the positions the Trump administration has taken towards Mexico, but their leadership proves time and time again incapable of responding in kind.