INTERNATIONAL Foreign Policy • Economics

President Trump proposes

to seal 1,250 miles of the border.

About 650 miles of

the border is already fenced.

OFF?WALLED

As the United States moves forward with plans to build a wall along its southern border, Mexico is pushing back. What will happen to the relationship between the longtime allies? BY MARY KATE FRANK

8 MARCH 13, 2017

Mexico side of the

border

U.S. side of the border

THERE IS AN OLD SAYING

that good fences make good

neighbors. But that may not be the

case when it comes to the United

States and Mexico.

On January 25, President Donald

Trump acted on a key campaign

promise. He issued an executive

order calling for the “immediate

construction” of a wall along the

U.S.-Mexico border. (See map,

p. 11.) Trump says the wall will stop

people from entering the U.S. ille-

gally. He also has promised that

Mexico will pay to build it.

Trump posted a video on Twitter

announcing the news. Mexican

President Enrique Peña Nieto then

tweeted a video of his own. “Mexico

will not pay for any wall,” he said.

Trump fired back. He tweeted

that perhaps the two men should

cancel their upcoming meeting at

the White House. Peña Nieto agreed.

He pulled out of the sit-down.

The testy back-and-forth came

after months of tension between the

U.S. and its southern neighbor.

Trump has again and again called

Mexico a source of undocumented

immigrants, drugs, and unfair trade

practices that hurt the U.S. econ-

omy. He says he will deal with these

issues by walling off the country,

increasing deportations, and chang-

ing trade agreements.

Trump’s proposals and harsh

words have angered many Mexi-

cans. They see Trump as a bully.

They are pressuring Peña Nieto to

stand up to him.

Both the U.S. and Mexico have

much to lose if their relationship

turns hostile. The two countries are

important economic partners. They

conduct more than $580 billion of

trade every year. They also are allies

that work together on border secu-

rity and other issues. Now, those

deep ties are threatened.

A RICHER MEXICOMexico and the U.S. share a long

and sometimes stormy history. (See

“Timeline: The U.S. & Mexico,” pp.

10-11.) In the past three decades,

however, the relationship has

improved greatly. At the same time,

Mexico has changed dramatically.

In 1994, the North American Free

Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was

adopted. It opened up trade among

the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Since

then, Mexico’s exports (the goods it

ships to other countries) have

soared. Mexico grows much of the

produce Americans eat. It also now

makes and sells cars, electronics,

and appliances.

As the Mexican economy grew,

life improved for many of its

128 million citizens. Almost half of

Mexico’s households are now

considered middle class. Kids stay

in school an average of twice as long

as they did 25 years ago, says

Shannon K. O’Neil of the Council on

Foreign Relations.

“Today, your average 15-year-old

in Mexico is thinking about the quiz

he’s going to take on Friday, not

about [moving] to the U.S. to look

for work,” she says.

Indeed, Mexico’s economic gains

mean that fewer of its people are

heading to the U.S. illegally in search

of jobs. The number of undocu-

mented Mexicans in the U.S.

dropped from a high of 6.9 million in

2007 to 5.8 million in 2014, accord-

ing to the Pew Research Center.

SECURITY THREATS AT THE BORDERDespite positive changes, Mexico

faces serious challenges in the form

of poverty, violence, and a big illegal

drug trade. And Mexicans still rep-

resent about half of the 11 million

undocumented immigrants living

in the U.S.

Because of these issues, many

Americans support Trump’s plans

to seal off the border. They say

undocumented immigrants are

taking American jobs. They also

blame such people for increasing

crime rates. Trump himself has

often hinted that many undocu-

mented immigrants are criminals.

He has called them “bad hombres”

and promised to deport them.

As far as paying for the wall,

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan says

Congress will fund the project. It

could cost more than $21 billion

and take until the end of 2020 to

complete. “[Trump] has a promise

he made to the American people,

which is to secure our

GO TO JUNIOR.SCHOLASTIC.COM TO: Download Skills Sheets // Watch Videos // View Leveled Text

Peña Nieto (left) met with Trump last

August in Mexico City.

PA

GE

8: A

LFR

ED

O E

ST

RE

LLA

/AF

P/G

ET

TY

IM

AG

ES

; PA

GE

9: Y

UR

I C

OR

TE

Z/A

FP

/GE

TT

Y I

MA

GE

S

Both the U.S. and Mexico have much to lose if

their relationship turns hostile.

9

10 MARCH 13, 2017

INTERNATIONAL

PA

GE

10

: LIB

RA

RY

OF

CO

NG

RE

SS

(M

EX

ICA

N-A

ME

RIC

AN

WA

R);

AP

IM

AG

ES

(B

RA

CE

RO

PR

OG

RA

M);

AM

OR

IM/C

AR

TO

ON

AR

TS

IN

TE

RN

AT

ION

AL/

TH

E N

EW

YO

RK

TIM

ES

S

YN

DIC

AT

E (

CA

RT

OO

N);

PA

GE

11:

LUIS

AC

OS

TA

/AF

P/G

ET

TY

IM

AG

ES

(D

RU

G W

AR

S);

HE

RIK

A M

AR

TIN

EZ

/AF

P/G

ET

TY

IM

AG

ES

(B

OR

DE

R);

JIM

MC

MA

HO

N/M

AP

MA

N®

(MA

P)

INTERNATIONAL

1836TEXAS SECESSIONThe Mexican province of Texas secedes after a short war. Nine years later, it becomes a part of the U.S.

1846-1848MEXICAN-AMERICAN WARThe U.S. defeats Mexico in the Mexican-American War in 1848. Mexico gives all of present-day California, Arizona, and New Mexico to the U.S.

1882-1910GUEST WORKERSLabor shortages prompt U.S. railroads to recruit workers from Mexico. By the early 1900s, about 60 percent of the railroad labor force is Mexican.

1942BRACERO PROGRAMIn response to World War II (1939-1945) worker shortages, the Bracero Program allows Mexicans to fill U.S. agricultural jobs temporarily.

The U.S. & Mexico

TIMELINE

border,” Ryan said recently. “A wall

is a big part of that.”

But if the U.S. builds the barrier,

it may face new threats at the south-

ern border. Mexico now works with

the U.S. on efforts to fight terrorism.

For example, Mexico shares infor-

mation on potential terrorism

suspects with U.S. offficials. Jorge

Castañeda is Mexico’s former for-

eign secretary. He says that kind of

assistance could end if Trump

carries out his plans. “Let’s see if his

wall keeps the terrorists out,” Casta-

ñeda told The New York Times.

“Because we won’t.”

THE END OF A TRADE DEAL?In Mexico’s view, the best way for

the U.S. to fight illegal immigration

is to support the Mexican economy.

The reason? Good opportunities at

home mean that Mexicans will not

have to go to the U.S. to find jobs.

That is one reason withdrawing

the U.S. from the NAFTA trade deal

could backfire. Trump has sug-

gested such a withdrawal. He says

that the agreement created unfair

incentives for U.S. companies to

move jobs to Mexico. Yet many

experts warn that ending the deal

could result in great harm to both

countries.

For instance, the pact does cost

U.S. jobs. But it also creates millions

of new ones. And both nations

depend on the $1.2 billion in goods

and services that cross the border

every day. U.S. grocery stores may

be hit with shortages and higher

prices on bananas, avocados, toma-

toes, and other produce grown in

Mexico. In turn, U.S. farmers who

send their produce to Mexico could

lose an important export market.

WORKING TOGETHERIn Mexico, Trump’s plans have

sparked fear, anger, and a surge of

national pride.

“Mexicans are very proud of their

country,” says O’Neil. “So there’s

outrage that any country, but

particularly the U.S., would . . .

dismiss them and bully them.”

Some Mexicans have promised to

boycott American products and

stop vacationing in the U.S. And they President Donald Trump and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto disagree about building a border wall. How does this cartoon depict that struggle?

Rio Grande

Gulf of California

PACIFICOCEAN

Gulf of MexicoTROPIC OF CANCER

20°N

30°N

90°W100°W110°W

SanDiego

BrownsvilleMcAllen

Laredo

El Paso

CiudadJuárez

Tijuana

MexicaliNogales

NuevoLaredo

CaboSan Lucas

ReynosaMonterrey

Chihuahua

Matamoros

BA

JA

CA

LI F

OR

NI A

MEXICO

CALIFORNIA

ARIZONA

TEXAS

BELIZEPueblaColima

Campeche

Cancún

Belmopan

GuatemalaCity

Acapulco

Oaxaca

Mexico City

YUCATÁNPENINSULA

GUATEMALAHONDURASEL

SALVADOR

Nogales

Calexico

S O N O R A ND E S E R T

N

S

W ESESW

NENWN

S

W ESESW

NENW

0

0 200 MI

200 KM

National capitalCityFenced border

NEW MEXICOOKLAHOMA ARKANSAS

LOUISIANA

TENNESSEE

MISSISSIPPI

ALABAMA

U N I T E D S TAT E S

Rio GrandeRio Grande

Columbus

Palomas

CORE QUESTION In what ways do U.S.-Mexico ties go beyond geography?

On the Border The 1,900-mile U.S.-Mexico

border runs through deserts, over mountains, and along

rivers. Experts say building a wall on such terrain will be difficult.

JUNIOR.SCHOLASTIC.COM 11

1. What is Mexico’s capital? 2. Which river forms part of

the Texas-Mexico border? 3. Which body of water does

t hat river empty into? 4. Which U.S. state has the

longest border with Mexico? the shortest?

5. Which country borders both Mexico and Guatemala?

6. In which direction would you travel to get from Reynosa to El Paso?

7. About how many straight-line miles separate Colima and Laredo?

8. Which labeled city is closest to the Tropic of Cancer?

9. Which city lies at about 19°N, 90°W?

10. What is the approximate latitude and longitude of Monterrey?

Map Skills

1994NAFTAThe U.S., Mexico, and Canada sign the North American Free Trade Agreement, eliminating trade barriers among the three nations.

2000sBORDER SECURITYAfter the 9/11 attacks, border security becomes a major issue. Hundreds of miles of fencing is built along the U.S.-Mexico border.

2006DRUG WARSMexican President Felipe Calderón launches an all-out war against Mexican drug cartels, which distribute drugs in nearly 200 cities across the U.S.

2017THE WALLPresident Donald Trump issues an executive order calling for a border wall. Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto says his country won’t fund it.

may elect their own version of Trump

in 2018. Andrés Manuel López Obra-

dor, a tough-talking populist who

promises to stand up to the U.S., is a

leading presidential hopeful.

In the meantime, Peña Nieto and

Trump are trying to sort out their

differences. The two leaders spoke

by phone after their Twitter feud.

“We will work for a border that

unites us, not one that divides us,”

Peña Nieto said recently. “Mexico

doesn’t believe in walls. Our coun-

try believes in bridges.” ◆

GO TO JUNIOR.SCHOLASTIC.COM TO: Play the Mapman® Game