Mexico Offer to Help Harvey Victims Largely Ignored as Trump Tweets About Border Wall

The Mexican authorities expressed full solidarity with the people and government of the United States for the wide-scale devastation caused by the disaster in Texas.

The aid would come from various agencies that are equipped to deal with the conditions resulting from the hurricane.

According to the Dallas Morning News, Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray spoke to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to reinforce the offer.
Texans braving the devastating conditions to get to safety. Photo: Reuters

At least a dozen people have been confirmed dead as a result of Hurricane Harvey, which has reportedly dumped 50-odd inches of water on Texas.

But, U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has, so far, ignored the offer while he reinforced his “build the wall” narrative – posting on Twitter, over the past weekend, that Mexico will pay for a border wall.

The Mexican Foreign Ministry's response to Trump's tweet was unambiguous and resolute.

“As the government of Mexico has always maintained, our country will not pay for, under any circumstances... a wall or physical barrier built on U.S. territory along the Mexican border.”

In 2005, the Central American country — and neighbor to the U.S.'s southern border — previously helped flood victims during Hurricane Katrina which devastated that region of the United States and claimed 1,800 lives.

They sent soldiers, medical personnel, engineers, as well as drinking water and food to citizens of Louisiana and Mississippi.

“By the end of their three-week operation in Louisiana and Mississippi, the Mexicans had served 170,000 meals, helped distribute more than 184,000 tons of supplies and conducted more than 500 medical consultations,” a Washington Post report detailed on Monday.