US officials met with Mexican officials to affirm positive relations, but success was limited. The US Homeland Security chief said immigration operations would not use "miltary force," contradicting the president.
Image: Reuters/C. Barria
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US Secretary of State Tillerson in Mexico
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Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray on Thursday said it was a "complex time" for US-Mexico relations after meeting with his American counterpart Rex Tillerson and homeland security chief John Kelly.
"There exists among Mexicans worry and irritation about what are perceived to be policies that could be harmful for the national interest and for Mexicans here and abroad," said Videgaray.
US President Donald Trump has sparked controversy for his policy by saying he will make Mexico pay for a border wall and that he will deport third-country nationals to the US' southern neighbor.
Tillerson attempted to bridge the widening gap between both nations during his visiting to Mexico City, saying they are united by a "joint commitment to maintain law and order."
"We underscored the importance of stopping the illegal firearms and bulk cash that is originating in the United States and flowing into Mexico," Tillerson said. "There's no mistaking that the rule of law matters along both sides of the border."
'Military operation'?
Trump appeared indifferent towards the disputes between Washington and Mexico City, which have flared following the president executive order on the "immediate construction of a physical wall on the southern border."
"We're going to have a good relationship with Mexico, but if we don't, we don't," Trump said on Thursday ahead of the high-profile meeting in the Mexican capital.
Trump also described a sweeping campaign of deportation across the US as a "military operation."
However, Kelly appeared to undermine Trump's remarks, telling a press conference that "there will be no use of military force for immigration operations."
"There will be no, repeat, no mass deportations," Kelly said after meeting with his Mexican counterparts.
US officials said the trip aimed to affirm positive relations with the country's southern neighbor after Trump's remarks, which have prompted protests across Mexico decrying the new administration in Washington.
The 'huge' walls of the world
US President Donald Trump has ordered the start of the construction of a wall along the US border with Mexico. The promised wall would dwarf many massive –and very expensive – walls around the world.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
"We are going to build a wall"
The border wall with Mexico was the signature promise of now President Donald Trump's election campaign, standing out from the storm of controversial and often contradictory campaign statements. Once elected, Trump quickly set the wheels in motion by ordering the construction to start. Experiences from around the world, however, show that massive barriers do not come easy - or cheap.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/N. Stern
"…and Mexico is going to pay for it."
The so-called "Tortilla Wall" already spans some 700 miles (1,126 kilometers) of the US-Mexico border. Experts believe that the US would need to pay between $15 billion and $25 billion in order to fully wall-off the entire southern frontier. US President Trump has said it would cost less and that Mexico would foot the bill.
Image: dpa
Wall of fear in Jerusalem
Israel started building its own controversial barrier in 2002, with construction continuing to this day. The structure is expected to stretch at least 650 kilometers (403 miles) across the Holy Land, most of it consisting of an electric wire fence. Observers believe its cost has already topped $2.6 billion (2.4 billion euros), with maintenance costs reaching $260 million per year.
Image: picture-alliance/Landov
The symbol of divided city
The Berlin Wall spanned 155 kilometers (91 miles) before its demolition in 1991. Unlike the many other walls across the world, the barrier was built by East Germany to keep the would-be emigrants inside the country. It cost about $25 million to build in 1961, equivalent to $200 million (almost 186.5 million euros) in present-day money.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/W. Kumm
The Korean DMZ - the most fortified border in the world
Capitalist South Korea and its Communist northern neighbor are divided by barbed wire and watchtowers, as well as around 1 million landmines. Following the 1953 truce, both Pyongyang and Seoul agreed to pull their troops 2 kilometers (1.24 miles) away inland, creating a demilitarized zone along the border that stretches 248 kilometers (154 miles).
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo
'Peace lines' run through Belfast
A total of 48 "peace lines" separate Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods in Belfast, a legacy of centuries-long religious war. The barriers including high brick walls, concrete structures, barb wire and metal bars. These barricades include gates to allow for circulation of people and traffic, but the gates close after nightfall.
