SAN DIEGO (AP) – The mayors of the largest metropolitan area on the U.S.-Mexico border called Monday for stronger binational ties, striking a sharp contrast with U.S. President Donald Trump’s calls to build a wall and renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement.
San Diego’s Kevin Faulconer and Tijuana’s Juan Manuel Gastelum didn’t mention Trump or Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto by name at a joint news conference, but their concern about growing tension between the two countries and its potential economic impact was evident in their remarks.
“We can’t control what happens outside our cities, but I know this: We will continue our story of collaboration, our story of friendship, and we will continue working together – together – for the prosperity of our people,” Faulconer said.
Gastelum said, “We have made a lot of progress over the years, but we know there is more work to do. We want to keep the momentum going, and to do that we must keep the relationship strong in light of some of the things that have been said outside of our cities.”
Faulconer, a Republican who won a second term in a landslide election last year in a solidly Democratic city, has taken issue with Trump in the past. He said during the presidential primary that Trump hadn’t earned his vote. When Trump signed an executive order last month to erect a wall on the 2,000-mile divide, Faulconer said, “We already have a safe and secure border in San Diego built by the federal government.”