Mexico has been working for some time to help stem the tide of migrants heading north to the U.S. border, but now is the first time its government has joined the United States as "true partners," acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Mark Morgan said Wednesday.
Morgan, however, declined to go into further details about the agreement.
"What I can tell you is that Mexico for the first time has really agreed to step up and do what we've asked them to do," Morgan told CNN, without making further comment about President Donald Trump's holding up a piece of paper Tuesday and saying it was the agreement.
Morgan also Wednesday denied that the Trump administration's decision to cut economic aid to Central America's Northern Triangle countries will make the immigration situation worse, but said he does think the U.S. should continue to work with the countries. However, he said migrants are encouraged to come through U.S. laws that serve as incentives.
Most migrants are heading to the United States for economic equality and family reunification, he said, but Trump's threat of tariffs did help bring the agreement with Mexico.
"We've been working with the government of Mexico for a very long time. We've given them very explicit things what they needed to do . . . after the threat of the tariffs they came to the table and now they're saying they want to be our partners and do what we've been asking them to do. From a law enforcement perspective, that's all I can tell you."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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