Mexico elected Claudia Sheinbaum as its next president on Sunday, June 2, replacing Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Sheinbaum is from the same political party as López Obrador, so her political ideology and policies will likely mirror what is already in place in Mexico. However, she has also previously spoken about hot topic issues including the border, immigration and Donald Trump.
Sheinbaum has said that to slow the influx of migrants passing through Mexico to reach to U.S. starts with investing in the countries people are leaving.
By helping the economies of countries in Central America, Sheinbaum said those countries’ people won’t have to flee based on necessity. Sheinbaum suggested the U.S. could use some of its military funds to help those countries and allegedly reduce illegal immigration.
“So, to the extent that there is development in Central America and in other countries that unfortunately many people to leave for economic reason to the United States, the long-term vision is that there should be investment and support in those areas,” Sheinbaum said. “So, if a part of what is destined to war investment in the U.S. were destined to investment for peace, we would be talking about a natural decrease in migration.”
Sheinbaum also said the U.S. needs immigration to help with its labor shortage. She also opposed the construction of a border wall, saying it would not lead to a better relationship between the U.S. and Mexico.
When it comes to who is elected in 2024, Sheinbaum said either President Joe Biden or Donald Trump would be good for Mexico.
“I think it will be good, whether President Biden or President Trump wins,” she said. “We have very strong economic integration with the United States. We are now the principal trading partner and that requires us to have a good relationship.”
