Vicente Fox’s Message of ‘Build Bridges, Not Walls’ Has Become Quite Literal
“I don’t see any reason to build a wall when (the U.S. and Mexico)…can negotiate,” says the former president of Mexico
When former President of Mexico Vicente Fox visited Michigan in 2008, he said he didn’t understand building walls, and that political leaders should build bridges instead.
At the time, it was largely a metaphorical statement.
Today, the idea of building walls as opposed to bridges between the United States and its southern neighbor is quite literal.
Fox has spent a lot of time over the years defending the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and other policies that have strengthened U.S.-Mexican economic and political ties.
It’s no surprise Fox has been one of the most vocal foreign critics of President Donald Trump, who has demonized Mexican immigrants, criticized NAFTA, and is trying to build a physical wall between the United States and Mexico.
Former President Fox speaks with Detroit Today host Stephen Henderson from Mexico. They discuss Trump, the proposed wall, NAFTA, and his upcoming speech at Wayne State University in Detroit.
“We are so…united together in North America that we have together Canada, the United States, and Mexico…become the largest economic power in the world,” says Fox.
“I don’t see any reason to build a wall when (the United States and Mexico)…can negotiate what kind of regulations, what kind of laws we must come up with to avoid the negative aspects of migration.”
Click on the audio player above for the full conversation.
