Texas Rep. Troy Nehls (R) has introduced a House Resolution condemning Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's (AMLO) comments during an "60 Minutes" interview last month. The House Resolution also calls on the president to limit illegal immigration from the country.
The resolution condemns AMLO's comments amounting to diplomatic blackmail, it demands that the president limit illegal immigration by securing its southern border, it calls on the country to reach an agreement with the United States for Migrant Protection Protocols(MPP)/Remain in Mexico, and it calls for the establishment of a Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States.
When the interview was released last month, it sparked Republican outcry as AMLO has been accused of exacerbating issues related to drug trafficking and illegal immigration. Elected in 2018 on the platform of rooting out corruption, weeding out poverty, and reducing crime, AMLO has instead been accused of having ties to drug traffickers.
During a press conference wherein he railed against "fake news," AMLO generated controversy after he read the phone number of a New York Times reporter pursuing a story that accused him of having connection to drug traffickers. When questioned about this being perceived as a threat, he denounced the sentiment, saying that he was merely defending himself against libel, and that "libel, when it doesn't stain, it smears."
However, on the subject of drug trafficking, the Mexican president called "for the root causes to be attended to, to be seriously looked at."
AMLO sees drug consumption as an issue that the U.S. must address because it's not something that Mexico deals with.
"You know why we don't have the drug consumption that you have in the United States? Because we have customs, traditions, and we don't have the problem of the disintegration of the family," AMLO posited.
Commenting on the House Resolution, Rep. Nehls argued that "the comments made by Mexico's President are reprehensible and equate to diplomatic blackmail."
“To mitigate illegal immigration, Mexico should secure its own border, reimplement President Trump’s successful ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy, and establish a Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States," the Texas Republican suggested, adding that the U.S. began to meet the "demands" of foreign countries when President Biden assumed office.
"This is completely unacceptable.”
Texas Rep. Jake Ellzey (R) has cosponsored the House Resolution.
