00:00Precisely to add, we're going to be adding a new guest for our analysis that is going to have
00:07perhaps much to say about this issue. Itzel Pamela Perez Gomez, Mexican international
00:15policy analyst, political scientist and psychologist. Hello, welcome Itzel to our
00:21special program on the midterm elections. Welcome. Thank you, thank you very much. So happy to be
00:28here and to discuss the importance of Viconite. Of course, we have been speaking with our
00:34in-studio analyst about the implications of anti-immigration policies in the face of these
00:42midterm elections. And I want to ask you from your perspective, how is, what has it mean for US
00:52voters, what is happening as also how it has damaged as well relations with Mexico. We are
00:59speaking about the closest neighbor that has been receiving as well, much of the hatred of the
01:07racism that is coming as well, along with this anti-immigration policies.
01:15Okay, so well, first of all, we just need to take consideration that the migration policy is
01:22directly in charge of the president. So tonight's election doesn't affect a lot that because we are
01:29not electing the president, right? So what is it's meaningful is that tonight can mark the path for the
01:38following presidential elections in 2020, which where they are going to discuss migration policy.
01:45So what it means now and what's important to know is that, for example, also talking about
01:51trade tariffs, they are also in charge of the of the of the president, right? So for tonight,
01:59it just marked the path of the possible Republican policy towards 2028 elections.
02:07How have this massive deportation campaign as well being impacted women and girls,
02:13mostly in the midst of such so much vulnerability on those who are affected by this by this policy,
02:20but I want to put the scope on women and girls.
02:25Yeah, they have affected, well, a lot of women and girls. We just have to remind that this
02:34policy implied separation of the whole families and the most vulnerable
02:42population, it's girls and women, not just because they are traveling alone when they migrate from
02:50Latin America to the U.S., but also when they are there, you know, like all the violence
02:58that ICE is putting on migrants, they are the most vulnerable population.
03:06Also, the U.S. is not just this is not just a national policy. It is a policy that affects
03:14as well
03:15Latin American countries and most specifically as well Mexico. But there are other policies of
03:20pressure that are being he's trying to impose on Latin American nations and most specifically
03:26Mexico, such as the the application of tariffs. How has this application, this this measure, this this
03:35policy have affected Mexico so far two years into the into the into this administration?
03:44Okay, so this is affecting Mexico by the fact that, well, our our trade balance be kind of affected
03:55because most of our economy depends on our exports to the U.S. So and we we have been put
04:01some tariffs over
04:03important important, important products, products, sorry. So it's affecting not just Mexico, but all the
04:12chain value of where Mexico takes part. And it affects also the the U.S. like the when the United
04:20States
04:22put the tariffs on Mexico, they were not realizing how like merged our economies are. So part of the rise
04:30of the price in the United States, they are they are coming from the tariffs that the United States
04:36are applying not just to Mexico, but to other countries, because all the economies are are
04:42integrated in a sense. So for now, I think the tariffs have been we cannot see a lot of of
04:52impact in Mexico.
04:53We can see it a lot more in the United States, mostly tonight, because they are affecting, of course,
05:00the the the the election. But also, we have to remember that we will still have some negotiations
05:07coming with the United States regarding the trade agreement. And the next election will be
05:14very important to continue the negotiations.
05:19Another question, and that would be how would you assess the stance of President Claudia Sheinbaum
05:26in the face of such a complicated neighbor?
05:32Okay, so in in my opinion, all the foreign team, the foreign treaty, not our president has
05:41has done a very good job regarding diplomacy, because President Trump. So it's very aggressive
05:50and it's very offensive in a in a public, you know, in in its in its eggs and all the
05:57social media.
05:58And it's very aggressive and offensive, not just to Mexico, but for the Latin American countries. And I
06:03think like my country, and and the the foreign service have faced very, you know, firm, very firmly
06:11and and diplomat all the the things that that Trump has said about about those. And they they have
06:19a stand by with dignity, which is more important. Mexico has never resigned to their principles, their foreign
06:29principles, and they have resisted the oppression of the United States in other foreign issues such
06:35as the war in in with Israel, the war with with Iran, the situation beat with with Latin America in
06:45general.
06:45So I think the the foreign ministry has a stand really firmly.
06:54With these economic pressures that have been imposed on Mexico, there are another pressure that has been
07:02launched by the White House, and that is the alleged war on drugs. And that also is putting in a
07:09back and forth
07:10comments from the from from from President Scheinbaum to Donald Trump as well, in which Trump is even
07:17threatening Mexico of attacking on performing military activities within Mexico to attack certain alleged
07:26cartels or terrorist organizations, as he have been naming some of those of those alleged groups
07:34within the nation, within the Mexican territory. What does this mean about sovereignty?
07:38What is your assessment on what is at stake in in in this rhetoric?
07:47Okay, so regarding this, it's a very dangerous rhetoric, because we should remind that
07:54President Trump has named a crime organization as terrorists. And when that happened, like the word
08:03terrorist, and if you name a group, it, it means that basically the United States had a right in a
08:11sense to
08:12invade and to to protect and to attack, because they are protecting regarding, you know, like the world from
08:21terrorism. So it's very dangerous to name the cartels as terrorists, which they they are not like in the security
08:29field,
08:30not in the studies of security field, the drug crime, drugs and crime are very different from from terrorist groups.
08:38But in terms of sovereignty, it will be totally violations of Mexico sovereignty,
08:47which, well, we have had a lot of interference with the with the United States along our our our story.
08:58And it's not the first time that Mexico and the United States front each other in a war in the
09:04border.
09:05I hope it didn't happen because it will be catastrophic for everybody will be not popular here nowadays in the
09:14U.S.
09:15to open another open war, even if it's it has security issues behind.
09:21And for for Mexicans, it will be like the country will be full of of violence if that happened.
09:28But actually, I'm not seeing this happening because, well, we should remember that tonight
09:35the United States is voting and the vote is evaluating how the president is performing regarding
09:43his first term decisions and why it's unpopular.
09:50So I don't think the United States will decide to to confront Mexico violently, like in the short term.
10:01Also, President Trump has repeatedly say that said that that Mexico is being ruled by
10:09narcotraffickers, what what evidence does he has to say something like this?
10:18The evidence that he has is, well, mostly
10:22they are accusing some of of politicians regarding corruption and corruption comes from the cartels.
10:36They are doing some investigation, investigations and research to see if this amount of money,
10:42the money they declare, the money that they don't declare, comes from the cartels or where is it coming.
10:48So basically, they are still doing the investigations to prove that they,
10:54these politicians, that they really have some kind of ties with the directly with the cartels.
11:04Also, President Claudia Scheinman has emphasized in the following idea,
11:10cooperation without subordination. How Scheinman is making a balance in being open to dialogue,
11:19to negotiations, as you have been saying before, that there are negotiations underway,
11:25and also being in a strong position regarding the defense of sovereignty of Mexico.
11:33So in the last month, the Mexican government has, as I said, shown that we are open to negotiation,
11:42but we have very clear what we want, and we are not to, you know, to just leave the table
11:50without negotiating.
11:51And I think President Trump knows that. But tonight's election, it's very important.
11:59I know that I have repeated a lot of this, but with today's results, we will see if President Trump
12:08has
12:08still a strong position in the negotiation, because if they lose both chambers,
12:23the power of negotiation of the U.S. will decline, and Mexico will be in a better position now to
12:30really stand for what we want, like negotiation without subordination.
12:38And I think we have shown that so far.
12:44Thank you very much for your time here with us, for your analysis, Itzel.
12:49And let's see what happens as well, because much is at stake regarding the U.S. relation
12:55towards Latin America and towards Mexico as well. So thank you very much.
13:00Thank you very much. Have a good night.
13:02Good night.
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