The State Division stated it might evaluate the 53 Mexican consulates in the USA, the newest signal of rising tensions between the Trump administration and certainly one of its most necessary international allies.
The State Division declined to elaborate on what the evaluate would entail, however stated that it may result in the closure of Mexican consulates.
The evaluate comes after claims have been circulating in conservative media in current months that Mexican consulates intrude in American politics and encourage mass migration to the USA.
The accusations largely originated from Peter Schweizer, a right-wing creator and contributor to Breitbart Information who has promoted conspiracy theories about international authorities affect. His claims include that Mexican consular officers have praised protests in opposition to U.S. immigration insurance policies, assisted migrants focused by immigration raids and distributed Spanish-language textbooks to some faculties, which discourages Mexican immigrants from assimilating.
The Mexican authorities has repeatedly disputed his claims, with President Claudia Sheinbaum calling them “completely false.”
On Wednesday, the Mexican Embassy in the USA responded to a put up on-line from Mr. Schweizer, saying that Mexican consulates assist Mexicans “in a big selection of issues, from making certain their documentation is updated to supporting individuals which were victims of a criminal offense.” It added, “There may be nothing political about consular work, solely the dedication to making sure individuals’s rights are revered.”
A Mexican authorities spokesman declined to touch upon the evaluate of its consulates in the USA, saying the federal government had no details about it.
Dylan Johnson, a State Division spokesman, stated in an announcement that the division was “continuously reviewing all points of American international relations to make sure they’re in step with the president’s America First international coverage agenda and advance American pursuits.”
CBS Information earlier reported that the State Division was beginning a evaluate of the Mexican consulates.
President Trump and Ms. Sheinbaum have usually cooperated on immigration enforcement and safety points, however they’ve additionally been at odds on quite a few fronts. Most just lately, Ms. Sheinbaum has been upset with the revelation that two Central Intelligence Company personnel participated in a Mexican state authorities operation in northern Mexico final month to dismantle a drug lab. The C.I.A. brokers’ presence was revealed once they died in a automobile crash in the course of the operation.
Ms. Sheinbaum has additionally refused to arrest a Mexican governor who was publicly accused by U.S. prosecutors final week of aiding a Mexican drug cartel. Ms. Sheinbaum has stated that she just isn’t defending the governor, who belongs to her political social gathering, and maintained that the USA didn’t provide adequate proof to warrant an arrest.
Ed Wong contributed reporting from Washington.
