Trump Threatens To Close US Border with Mexico ’Next Week’

By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to close his country's southern border with Mexico, again accusing the neighboring state of not doing enough to stop migrants from crossing into the US.

In a storm of tweets, Trump said he will close the border or "large sections of the border" as soon as "next week" should Mexico fail to "immediately stop ALL illegal immigration coming into the United States through our Southern Border."

"This would be so easy for Mexico to do, but they just take our money and 'talk,'" Trump added. "Besides, we lose so much money with them, especially when you add drug trafficking etc.), that the Border closing would be a good thing!"

For his part, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador responded to Trump, telling a crowd of supports in the eastern city of Poza Rica that he has no intention of participating in a confrontation with the US president.

"I want to make it clear that we are not going to fight with the United States government. Peace and love," the leftist leader added.

"People in Central America don't have any options, so they set out looking for a way to earn a living. It's a human right. We shouldn't condemn migration."

"All this talk of migrant caravans and such is related to politics and the (US) election campaign -- that's why I'm not going to get into it," he told a news conference, prior to Trump's latest tweets on the closing the border.

Also in response, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard tweeted with one of his own, saying his country "does not act based on threats."

"We are a great neighbor. Just ask the 1.5 million US citizens who have chosen to call our country home, the largest such community outside the United States," Ebrard added.