This is not what Americans wanted to hear.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador warned that unless the United States complies with Latin America's requests for aid, there will be no break in the constant flow of migrants.
“Everybody thinks you have the power in this moment to slow down migration. Do you plan to?” “60 Minutes” correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi said asked Obrador.
Obrador's demands are for the U.S. to send $20 billion a year to Latin American countries, lift sanctions on Venezuela, end the Cuban embargo, and legalize millions of Mexicans who are living in the U.S.
“We do, and want to continue doing it. But we do want for the root causes to be attended to, for them to be seriously looked at,” a translator interpreted Obrador's response from Spanish.
“If they don't do the things that you've said need to be done, then what?,” she asked.
“The flow of migrants will continue,” Obrador responded.
“Your critics have said what you're doing, what you're asking for to help secure the border, is diplomatic blackmail,” Alfonsi said. “What do you say?”
“I'm speaking frankly,” Obrador said. “We have to say things as they are. And I always say what I feel, I always say what I think.”
Earlier in the interview Alfonsi said that while immigration, the border, and the economy are critical issues in the 2024 election, “the person who could tip the scales for either candidate is another president [Obrador].”
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