Mexico's massive deployment of its federal forces along the U.S. southern border is blocking migrants from reaching the United States — effectively providing and paying for President Donald Trump’s border wall, CNN reported.
The news outlet pointed to a video of an Oct. 12 operation by military police from Mexico’s National Guard blocking a large caravan of migrants in Tuzantan, Mexico, who were trying to head north and were sent to a detention camp in southern Mexico.
Though U.S. taxpayers are still footing the bill for new physical barriers at the U.S.-Mexico border, CNN reports it’s Mexican troops that are effectively doing the job.
Trump has acknowledged the help, telling the UN General Assembly last month that he was grateful for President Andres Manuel López Obrador of Mexico putting 27,000 troops on the U.S. southern border.
Last week, acting U.S. Customs and Border Protection chief Mark Morgan praised Mexico, tweeting the same viral video of the Oct. 12 video.
But the video showing the Mexican National Guard's response to the caravan of migrants from Central America and Africa also has drawn a backlash on social media.
"We criticize Trump for his anti-immigrant stance and our National Guard is doing exactly the same thing," tweeted Mexican columnist Denise Dresser.
And in commentary in the New York Times, Univision anchor Jorge Ramos noted that Trump's comments that he was "using Mexico" had angered many Mexicans.