President-elect Donald Trump (still enjoying that) hasn't even taken office yet, but the impact of his election victory is already making itself felt across the land — and south of the border. In the latest example of this, the Mexican government has reportedly broken up two small illegal immigrant caravans headed for the United States.
Mexican immigration authorities have broken up two small migrant caravans headed to the U.S. border, activists said Saturday.
Some migrants were bused to cities in southern Mexico, and others were offered transit papers.
The action comes a week after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump threatened to slap 25% tariffs on Mexican products unless the country does more to stem the flow of migrants to the U.S. border.
There would appear to be a catch: Some of the illegal immigrants were offered "transit papers," which presumably allowed them to continue. So not a complete fix; not yet. But it's a step.
The usual suspects are already clutching at pearls.
On Wednesday, Trump wrote that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum had agreed to stop unauthorized migration across the border into the United States. Sheinbaum wrote on her social media accounts the same day that “migrants and caravans are taken care of before they reach the border.”
Migrant rights activist Luis García Villagrán said the breaking-up of the two caravans appeared to be part of “an agreement between the president of Mexico and the president of the United States.”
The President-elect has already spoken with the Mexican president on this topic.
See Related: Trump Says Mexico Will Stop Flow of Illegal Aliens After Conversation With Mexican President
The border issue and illegal immigration were a high-profile issue in the election just past. Donald Trump and JD Vance campaigned on stopping illegal immigration by promising to close the border and conduct mass deportations; the open border has been a massive legal and humanitarian mess for some time now.
See Related: OPINION: Heartbreaking Clip Shows Crying 10-Year-Old Left at the Border by Coyotes – Democrats Silent
But the interesting part of all this is the leadership aspect. Not in Mexico, mind you, but in the United States. President Joe Biden has, it seems, already been replaced. Oh, he still holds the formal trappings of the presidency. He still sleeps in the White House — at least, every now and then, when he isn't relaxing at his Delaware beach house. He still rides around on Air Force One, and (we note with no small apprehension) he still has nuclear weapons release authority.
In negotiations with other nations, it sure looks like Donald Trump has already assumed the role of acting president. He has already been talking with other world leaders, and he has already been influencing those other leaders to take actions that Trump wants them to take. This Mexican action is a great example.
The world doesn't seem willing to wait until Joe Biden finally shuffles off to Rehoboth Beach for keeps. They're talking with Trump already. That's probably for the best, and it speaks volumes as to the capacities of both men.
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