Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday that her government came to a “practically ended agreement” with the United States on security issues and also expressed confidence that other pacts will be signed before August 1 to avoid the 30% rate announced by US President Donald Trump.
“There is an agreement practically ended with the US government, coordinated by the state department on security topics. Sovereignty is clear, the territoriality of each of us is clear and coordination and collaboration schemes are established. It is an agreement that is practically completed,” Sheinbaum said at a press conference.
Asked about the meeting that a government entourage, led by the Secretary of Economics, Marcelo Ebrard, had American officials in Washington this weekend to negotiate topics such as security, commerce and migration, she was optimistic.
“There is a very important advance. There are some lower details, we want it to be part of a global agreement, not only security on one side and trade on the other, but really as a general deal with the US government,” Sheinbaum emphasized, referring to the proposal for a global agreement that presented Trump.
The Mexican president said that a bilateral work table was established on the letter sent over the weekend by President Trump regarding the 30% imposition of fees on Mexican products from August 1. However, she believes an agreement will be closed with the US before that date.
“These are letters that are being sent to the whole world. It is not in particular to Mexico. So this new rate comes to us in this letter, what we have to do? What we have done so far: to work to prevent this tariff from harming the Mexican economy and, above all, the jobs, which is what matters us most,” he said.
She reiterated that the advances will be informed “little by little” and that the US government recognizes Mexico’s work to reduce drug trafficking and violence in both territories.
“We do our part to reduce fentanyl trafficking and other drugs to the US and collaboration and coordination to, on both sides of the border, to address the issue from money laundering to the arrest of violence generators on both sides of the border,” he said.
The Mexican president has mentioned that products within the T-MEC (Mexico-United-United States Treaty) have zero fare, while those outside the treaty face rates of up to 25%, as well as currents in sectors such as steel, aluminum and automotive sector. The new letter proposes an additional 30%rate, which motivated the intensification of bilateral dialogue.
In addition, she revealed that the letter suggests the reduction of US commercial deficit over Mexico and includes incentives for Mexican investment in US territory as a way to reduce tariffs.
