A Letter to Donald Trump from Mexico: Don't Turn Our Dreams Into Nightmares Homero Aridjis - The Huffington Post
go to original November 13, 2016

Mexican newspapers report on Trump’s victory (Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

Dear Mr. Trump,

I write to you from Mexico, where your victory has been greeted with surprise, fear, dismay and timid optimism. There is no aspect of Mexican life that is not going to be affected by your election.

This is a political earthquake for the Mexican government that will require a massive overhaul of every aspect of the relationship between our two countries. In your victory speech you said, “While we will always put America’s interests first, we will deal fairly with everyone, with everyone — all people and all other nations. We will seek common ground, not hostility; partnership, not conflict.” It’s time to bring our countries closer together, not tear them apart.

President Enrique Peña Nieto tweeted congratulations to the United States for its electoral process, and the foreign minister declared, “the campaign is over, a new chapter is beginning in the bilateral relationship.” She also stated that a wall along the U.S. border is “not in the picture” and that Mexico would not pay for it. Meanwhile, the Mexican peso plunged more than 10 percent to a new low.

Mr. Trump, your victory will impact our 2018 presidential elections. Until November 8, the frontrunner, Margarita Zavala, was banking on riding the wave of a woman’s election to the U.S. presidency, and she publicly supported Hillary Clinton. Meanwhile, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who was defeated for the presidency in both previous elections and is second in the polls, had a reassuring message. He said there’s no reason to worry about Trump’s victory and migratory problems can be resolved amicably, without recourse to a wall. Last month opposition party lawmakers compared him to Trump, calling them “as alike as two drops of water.”

Don’t forget, Mr. Trump, that thanks to Mexico’s invitation, your visit to Mexico and the televised press conference on August 31 with President Peña Nieto was the first time you were given presidential treatment outside your country. Luis Videgaray, the architect of that visit, was trounced by public opinion and obliged to resign from his post as treasury secretary. Videgaray’s chances of running for governor of the State of Mexico have now suddenly revived, and there’s even talk of a presidential candidacy for the sole Mexican politician who allied himself with you.

...As you get to know us better, you will find that Mexicans and Americans share many values, among them family, hard work, aspirations, a desire for justice and strongly held religious convictions. Don’t judge or penalize 122 million people for the behavior of a few thousand criminals.

Read the rest at The Huffington Post

Related: Mexicans on Trump's Election: 'The Power He Has Over Us Is Terrifying' (The Guardian)

Related: Scared by Trump, Some People on Mexico Border Give Up American Dream (Reuters)

Related: Canadian Officials Preparing for Potential Flood of Mexican Migrants After Trump Wins Presidency (CBC)

Related: At Mexico's Border, President Trump Is Just the Latest Unfunny Gringo Joke (The Guardian)

Related: Trump and Latin America: In Opposite Directions (FT.com)

Related: After Years on the Sidelines, Filmmaker Michael Moore Is Back Where He’s Comfortable: Fighting the Republican Establishment (The Huffington Post)

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