Trump Calls Mexico Second Deadliest Country, Mexico Rejects Claim
Reacting to President Donald Trump’s tweet about Mexico being the second deadliest country in the world after Syria, the foreign ministry of Mexico issued a statement rubbishing the claim.
In a statement issued few hours after the tweet, the foreign ministry of Mexico said that while it has a significant problem of violence, it is not the second most violent nation in the world.
Citing figures of the United Nations for 2014, the foreign ministry claimed that in Latin America alone, countries such as Honduras, Venezuela, Belize, Colombia and Brazil had homicide rates of 90.4, 53.7, 44.7, 30.8 and 25.2, respectively, per 100,000 inhabitants, while Mexico had a rate of 16.4, well below many of the countries in the region.
Read: President Wants $1 Billion For 62 Miles Of US-Mexico Wall
In the statement, the foreign ministry described illicit drug trade as a common problem for both the U.S. and Mexico. “Illicit drug trade is indeed the most important cause of violence in Mexico and drug trafficking is costing thousands of lives both in Mexico and the U.S.,” the statement read.
Mexico also emphasized on addressing the root cause of the issue; high demand for drugs in the U.S. and supply from Mexico. While Trump in his tweet talked about building “the wall” yet again, Mexico stressed that they must move beyond finger-pointing. “We look forward to continue working with the U.S. government against drug trafficking based on the principles of shared responsibility, teamwork, and trust,” the statement read.
Trump on Thursday slammed Mexico in a tweet emphasizing on his pledge to “build the wall.”
Trump apparently referred to a report by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies. The report claimed that Mexico saw 23,000 homicides in 2016. Among countries the report considered to be in armed conflict, Mexico was ranked second to Syria.
The Mexican Foreign Relations and Interior Secretariats later released a joint statement and raised questions on the methodology of the report. "In this sense, the report starts from a base that is erroneous and lacking in technical rigor," the statement said. The statement also said that when figures are adjusted for population, many other countries are more violent than Mexico.
Read: 2018 Federal Budget To Include $4.1 Billion For Wall
Trump had recently said that the proposed wall along the border with Mexico could have solar panels fixed to it. He said that the solar panels would provide cheap energy and help to cover up the cost of the controversial wall, BBC reported.
During his presidential campaigns, Trump had pledged that he would build a wall along the Mexican border to stop drug trafficking and illegal immigration. He had also insisted that he would make Mexico pay for the wall. However, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto later dismissed the idea.
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