MEXICO CITY, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has told every government department to evaluate "cooperation mechanisms with the U.S. government," his office said in a statement on Monday.
The order went out on Sunday during a cabinet meeting at his official residence of Los Pinos.
The presidential decision to review this cooperation came as tension between Mexico and the United States has soared in recent days, with U.S. President Donald Trump having questioned Mexico's willingness to stop illegal migration and the flow of drugs.
Trump also ordered the U.S. National Guard to be deployed along the border with Mexico to help halt illegal migration until his long-touted wall is built.
Mexico denounced these measures as an "aggression", with the Mexican Senate asking the government to end bilateral cooperation on migration and organized crime until "Trump behaves with the civility and respect the people of Mexico deserve."
In a message to his counterpart last week, Pena told Trump to avoid lashing out at Mexico out of frustration "due to internal political matters."
"We will not allow negative rhetoric to define our actions," said the Mexican president. "We will have no fear to negotiate, but we will never negotiate out of fear."
"We have never withheld our cooperation, because we are aware of the shared responsibility that this important task applies," added Pena, before demanding that Trump protect the rights of Mexicans in the United States.
