Washington: President Donald Trump renewed his threat Wednesday to send more troops to the US-Mexico border following an incident in which Mexican soldiers confronted US personnel. Mexico blamed the incident on confusion, and said it was not looking for confrontation with America.
“Mexico’s soldiers recently pulled guns on our National Guard Soldiers, claiming, without evidence that it was done probably as a diversionary tactic for drug smugglers on the border. Better not happen again!” Trump tweeted.
“We are now sending ARMED SOLDIERS to the Border. Mexico is not doing nearly enough in apprehending and returning criminals!” added the US President.
Trump last year dispatched US troops to the border to assist border personnel in response to several caravans of Central American migrants travelling through Mexico in hopes of reaching the US. Earlier this month, two US soldiers in a remote area of Texas were confronted by Mexican soldiers who thought the Americans had crossed into Mexico. The Mexican troops reportedly removed a weapon from one of the American soldiers.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador promised to investigate the incident at a Wednesday news conference. “We are not going to fight with the government of the United States,” said Obrador. “The most important thing is that we want a relationship of mutual respect and cooperation for development,” he added.
Mexico’s foreign relations department characterised the incident as ‘routine’ confusion in an area where the line separating the two countries is unclear.
While not every US service member deployed to the border is armed, many — including those performing the ‘mobile surveillance camera’ mission, like the two confronted by the Mexican soldiers — are armed for self-protection.
Asked whether Trump intended to deploy more troops in response, White House adviser Kellyanne Conway said Trump ‘may’ do that, but suggested the tweet was more about putting Mexico on notice.
“I think the President is just making clear, as he always has, that he has many different actions at his disposal to try to stop this humanitarian crisis,” she told reporters after an interview on ‘Fox News Channel’.
Trump’s tweets come two days after Mexican police and immigration agents detained hundreds of Central American migrants Monday in the largest single raid on a migrant caravan since the groups started moving through the country last year.