Trump’s Success, Nancy Pelosi’s Success, and a Failure
He has found ways reduce the flow of undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers into the US from Mexico. He has largely succeeded in reducing those numbers through two agreements – one with Mexico and one with Guatemala
The US (that means Trump) has persuaded Mexico to cooperate more fully with an old agreement that provides for people seeking asylum in the US to remain in Mexico until there is an opportunity to actually have a court hearing to consider asylum. Nothing about this is smooth or efficient. Some are still able to get to the US.
The US (that means Trump) achieved an agreement with Guatemala – the Central American country that borders Mexico. They have agreed on a so-called “safe third country” requiring citizens of Honduras and El Salvador who enter Guatemala to apply for asylum there instead of at the US border. Guatemala This is a two year deal which is reviewed every three months It is not applicable to Guatemalans. Probably because the issue doesn’t come up, the Canadians have made a similar agreement.
Trump claims a third success, a new trade agreement with Mexico and Canada. This is really an achievement for Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She insisted on two big changes before the NAFTA replacement was approved.
She insisted that protections for biologic drugs be eliminated. Democrats want to regulate drug prices and do not want a trade deal regulating drugs get in the way. She also insisted that an interagency committee be established to monitor Mexican labor reform and set benchmarks for implementing those reforms. The trade deal was opposed by labor is now endorsed by the head of the AFL-CIO. endorsed it.
Venezuela is the worst kind of failure. Trump overplayed his hand, supported a claimant to the presidency, and drove those Venezuelans who remain in the country to continued loyalty to the existing regime. The National Assembly that appointed Trump’s claimant is now loyal to the Venezuelan regime. Trump has no one left in Venezuela to support. One newspaper report suggested that Trump underestimated the support of Cuba and Russia for the Venezuelan regime.