Outgoing Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador offered a proposal for ways in which the U.S. might stem the tide of migrants at its southern border. The terms of the proposal sparked an outrage reaction from Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who characterized the suggestions as a call for a "bribe."
Lopez Obrador made an appearance on Sunday's edition of 60 Minutes, where he touched on a number of issues, including the ongoing flow of migrants over the border into the U.S. The Mexican president has, in the past, offered assistance at the behest of the Biden administration to help stem the tide of crossings and made a notable difference.
During the interview, he offered a proposal of four things that the U.S. government could do that might address the political and economic instabilities at the root of the recent migrant surges: commit $20 billion a year to poor countries in Latin America and the Caribbean; lift sanctions on Venezuela; end the Cuban embargo; and legalize law-abiding undocumented Mexican migrants living in the U.S.
"The flow of migrants will continue," Lopez Obrador said when pressed about what would happen if the U.S. did not take these steps.
In response to these comments, Greene, a Georgia Republican known for her outspoken support of former President Donald Trump and his policies, expressed outrage in posts to X, formerly Twitter.
"The President of Mexico says they will keep invading our country until we pay the bribe. This is a war. He is basically saying either we meet his demands or the invasion continues," Greene said.
She added in another post: "Speaker Johnson surrendered every tool we had to force the Biden admin to secure the border in the Omnibus government funding bills and now the President of Mexico is demanding a bribe in order to 'stem the invasion' NOT even stop it!! Johnson can NOT be Speaker of the House!"
Newsweek reached out to the Mexican government's press office via email on Monday for comment.
Elsewhere in the 60 Minutes interview, Lopez Obrador was pressed about criticism like those from Greene and accusations that his proposal amounts to "diplomatic blackmail."
"I am speaking frankly, we have to say things as they are, and I always say what I feel," he said, as translated for 60 Minutes. "I always say what I think."
He also said that, even if the proposed terms are not taken up by the U.S., Mexico will continue to provide support at the border: "Yes, because our relationship is very important."
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Thomas Kika is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in upstate New York. His focus is reporting on crime and national ... Read more
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