By Kasim Ileri
WASHINGTON (AA) – Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said Sunday there is “no way” his country would pay for a wall along the border will the U.S. as proposed by Donald Trump.
“There is no way that Mexico can pay [for] a wall like that,” Pena Nieto said during an interview with Fareed Zakaria of CNN.
While announcing his presidential campaign last June, Trump sparked anger and criticism by saying Mexico is sending “rapists”, drugs and crime into the U.S.
He then proposed building a wall along the U.S.’s southern border to prevent illegal immigrant and have Mexico finance the project.
Pena Nieto said that “there is no way to agree with” Trump’s generalizations about Mexicans.
Noting the presence of criminals in every country, he said, “We need to fight and apply the full extent of the law” in bringing those people to justice.
“Not many people know, for instance, that every single day, 1 million people cross the border between Mexico and the U.S. and they do it legally — every single day,” he added.
The Mexican leader also said U.S. security is tied to the security of its neighbors and urged collaboration between the two countries in securing their borders.
“We are journey companions. We are strategic partners working for security in North America,” he said.