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Texas Just Defied Trump On Mexico After Response To Hurricane Harvey

Texas Just Defied Trump On Mexico After Response To Hurricane Harvey

Hurricane Harvey is an unprecedented natural disaster in Texas, and while President Trump touts his victory and crowd size while pretending to have visited affected areas, first responders, charities, and heroic individuals are working overtime to help those in need.

Count the Mexican government among those immediately offering to do what they can to aid in the recovery, offering “help and cooperation” to their neighbors to the North. The Trump administration has stonewalled Mexico for days however, refusing to say if they would accept the offer of help in Texas’ recovery.

Texas’ Republican Governor Greg Abbot, historically a Trump ally, no longer has time to play the president’s xenophobic games, and today, formally accepted much-needed storm assistance from Mexico, even assuring the country’s government that undocumented residents would not be bothered by the president’s deportations force.

Governing Magazine reports:

“To unauthorized immigrants seeking shelter from Harvey’s devastation, [Mexico’s undersecretary for North American relations Carlos Sada] said: ‘Don’t be afraid to come out. There is no deportation operation underway. We have the assurance of Gov. Abbott and the mayor of Houston.’

“Mexico’s offer of help comes at a crucial and tense time for the U.S.-Mexican relations, which in many ways is largely shaped by Texas. “‘Texas and Mexico share more than half the border,'” Sada said. “‘There are families, marriages, businesses that bind our two sides. This is about being good neighbors.'”

Meanwhile, the Trump Administration is working closely with the far off city-state Singapore near Malaysia, who have graciously sent four helicopters, while ignoring hurricane assistance from America’s southern neighbor.

Snopes notes that:

“In 2005, Mexico sent 200 troops and 45 military vehicles to Texas to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. Their efforts resulted in the distribution of more than 184,000 tons of supplies, as well as hundreds of medical consultations and a reported 170,000 prepared meals. Mexico also sent aid for victims of Hurricane Sandy, and regularly sends a crew of bomberos — considered among the best in the world — to provide aid fighting major wildfires and to help with environmental concerns.”

But Mexico’s customary and sincere offers to help have been brushed off by a Department of Homeland Security spokesman who said, “if a need for assistance does arise” they’ll figure something out later.

There’s no time to play politics during a disaster like Hurricane Harvey when people’s lives and livelihoods are at stake, but the head of the Executive Branch of our federal government is still sadly focused on tax cuts for the rich and yelling at disaster victims that they’re a “great crowd.”

Grant Stern
is the Executive Editor of Occupy Democrats and published author. His new Meet the Candidates 2020 book series is distributed by Simon and Schuster. He's also mortgage broker, community activist and radio personality in Miami, Florida., as well as the producer of the Dworkin Report podcast. Grant is also an occasional contributor to Raw Story, Alternet, and the DC Report, and an unpaid senior advisor to the Democratic Coalition and a Director of Sunshine Agenda Inc. a government transparency nonprofit organization. Get all of his stories sent directly to your inbox here:

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