Noem ends her first visit to Latin America in Mexico to discuss crime and migration
MEXICO CITY (AP) — U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem landed in Mexico on Friday to cap off a tour to three Latin American nations to discuss immigration, crime and deportation.
Noem’s first visit to the region comes as it gains increasing importance to the Trump administration, which is attempting to scale up deportation efforts and warn against migration north. As Noem visited El Salvador and Colombia, Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Guyana to meet with a number of Caribbean leaders.
After being greeted at the airport by Mexico’s foreign minister, Noem met with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and other top Mexican officials. The two leaders were photographed sitting next to each other in a meeting room along with other aids and together in front of American and Mexican flags.
Sheinbaum’s government has been working to offset tariffs lodged by the Trump administration, which economic forecasters say could thrust the Mexican economy into a recession.
In exchange for delaying sanctions in past months, the Mexican government sent 10,000 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border and reported sharp crackdowns on drug labs. It also sent 29 top cartel figures long sought by the American government to the U.S. to face justice.
After the meeting on Friday, Noem wrote on a post on the social media platform on X that the moves were “a positive step.”
“But there is still much work to be done to stop the flow of drugs and illegal immigrants into our country,” she added.
Sheinbaum, meanwhile, called the meeting “fruitful” and said Mexico and the U.S. “maintain a good relationship within a framework of respect for each other’s sovereignty.”
Despite 25% tariffs on auto parts announced by U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this week, Sheinbaum said ahead of the meeting that the focus of her conversation with Noem would largely be about security and migration, adding that she would emphasize Mexico’s sovereignty in the meeting.
“More that informing, we’re going to share with her what is being done and also the coordination and collaboration that has been established with the United States,” Sheinbaum said in her morning press briefing. “It is going to be a cordial meeting on coordination.”
While other leaders have taken a more confrontational approach with Trump and imposed reciprocal tariffs, Sheinbaum has walked a fine line with the Republican U.S. president, and the government has taken a collaborative approach to offset the economic blow. On Wednesday, Sheinbaum said Mexico would seek “preferential treatment” to Trump’s auto tariffs.
Sheinbaum’s managing of the relationship with Trump has been met by soaring approval in Mexico.
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