LATIN AMERICA LEARNS WHAT FAFO MEANS WITH TRUMP
In Latin America, word is out. And the word is FAFO. The polite version is “Fool Around – Find Out.” That first F stands for something else on Elon’s X.
Suddenly we are seeing a lot of them willingly cooperate with President Trump on the acceptance of repatriation flights for their own nationals in the U.S. illegally.
The reason looks pretty obvious: Nobody wants to be the next Petro.
President Trump’s thrashing of far-left Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, who initially refused to take repatriation flights he had agreed to earlier, hollering like the pope about ‘dignity,’ before being forced to quickly reverse course and sing soprano, seems to have sent a message to the rest of Latin America’s alien-exporting states, and now they’re falling into line with Trump’s agenda.
According to Reuters:
“MEXICO CITY, Jan 27 (Reuters) – Mexico has received non-Mexican migrants from the United States in the past week, and Central American nations could also reach similar agreements with the U.S. to accept deportees from other countries, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday.
The leftist leader’s comments are a reversal from her administration’s previous opposition to Mexico receiving migrants from other countries.
Sheinbaum said in her daily morning press conference that Mexico had accepted more than 4,000 migrants, of which a “large majority” were Mexican, from the U.S.
U.S. President Donald Trump took office last week, promising massive deportations of migrants who were in the U.S. illegally.
But in the days since, there has not been a “substantial” increase in deportees received by Mexico, Sheinbaum said.
Sheinbaum previously said her administration had not agreed to the restart of the “Remain in Mexico” program by the Trump administration, which would send non-Mexican migrants who had crossed the border between the two countries back to Mexico while they awaited processing by the United States.”
Suddenly, she’s all in with taking back her country’s nationals, and nationals from other countries, which makes sense, given that they walked into the U.S. from Mexico. The Mexicans knew what they were up to when they landed, and during the Biden administration, let them all in, the better to collect ‘fees’ and send them on their way up north.
Now they’re singing a different tune — and it’s interesting to see how Sheinbaum struggles to save face.
Reuters noted that she pointed to Mexico’s southern neighbor, Guatemala, which is also accepting repatriation flights.
“The U.S. is also in talks with Central American countries on immigration, Sheinbaum said, suggesting they could receive migrants from other nations in the region.
‘Some countries’ constitutions – Guatemala’s, for example – say that any Central American must be accepted by Guatemala,’ Sheinbaum said. ‘So they’re coordinating with the United States, taking into account each country’s sovereignty.’
Guatemalan Foreign Minister Carlos Ramiro Martinez told journalists later on Monday that he did not rule out his nation becoming a so-called ‘safe third countr’” to accept migrants of other nationalities.
Guatemala accepted migrants from other countries during Trump’s first administration.”
We have yet to hear from far-left Honduran President Xiomara Castro, whose nationals have quite a drug-dealing operation in the San Francisco Bay Area. She was threatening to expel U.S. military installations in her country, and would round up all the other Latin American states to form a unified bloc against Trump over the illegals’ returns.
“Como Presidenta Pro Témpore (PPT) de la Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribeños (CELAC), convoco con carácter urgente a una reunión de presidentes y jefes de Estado; próximo jueves 30 de enero a las 11:00 a.m. (hora de Honduras). pic.twitter.com/vEXCwCZBQl
— Xiomara Castro de Zelaya (@XiomaraCastroZ) January 26, 2025”
That was Sunday. Two days later… Oh, wait:
“’Mi Gobierno ha llamado al Gobierno de Estados Unidos, a iniciar de inmediato un diálogo sobre el tema de migración.’ – Presidenta de Honduras, Xiomara Castro.#INM #Migración #Honduras 🇭🇳 pic.twitter.com/zNkKDp2OzD
— Instituto Nacional de Migración HN (@MigracionHND) January 28, 2025”
She wants “immediate” dialogue with the U.S. over the repatriation flights. Another surrender.
They’re all doing it — Ecuador …
“The United States and Ecuador are cooperating on deportation flights, ensuring the safe return of Ecuadorian migrants to their country. As @SecRubio has said, ;we are unwavering in our commitment to end illegal immigration and bolster America’s border security.’ https://t.co/ygdnUtfwdZ
— Department of State (@StateDept) January 29, 2025”
Even Venezuelan dictator, Nicolas Maduro.
“Nicolas Maduro caves preemptively to Trump. Publicly announced he will receive Venezuelan citizens deported by the U.S. https://t.co/BdftRYPWee
— Luis H Ball (@ball1_ball) January 29, 2025”
To be sure, Sheinbaum and the others are trying to save face. (Petro couldn’t do it if he tried at this point, he’s a hopeless laughingstock.)
Sheinbaum put out this annoying hectoring, trying to shame the U.S. into keeping the illegals:
“NEW: Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum states that Mexican immigrants play a vital role in supporting the U.S. economy.
“’The Mexicans there sustain the economy of the United States — in the countryside, in services, everywhere’! pic.twitter.com/VKBFxlFuAJ — January 27, 2025
Which is baloney — sending Mexicans back to Mexico can only benefit Mexico’s economy … if she can put them to work.
I’ve met people in the shack cities of Tijuana who have told me their stretches as illegals in the states gave them amazing arrays of skills such as truck driving, computer operation, and construction, all of which can only benefit Mexico as remittances cannot.
Sheinbaum ought to focus on them so they don’t have to live in shacks without much in the way of jobs — which might require some free market reforms, something that, as a socialist, she wouldn’t want to do.
Javier Milei of Argentina, after all, doesn’t have this problem.
Remittances are what she has in mind, of course, with this speech, even though the World Bank and IMF state that big remittances tend to underdevelop a country — breaking up families, making people live in two places at once, and reducing human capital in favor of finance capital.
What’s more, her argument is old and tired, we have already been through it before — with only more problems from migrants as it was accepted as conventional wisdom.
They’re all going that way. Petro showed them what happens when a leftist leader messes with Trump. Now, word has gone out and nobody wants to mess with that big touchy gringo up north. Much better to keep his attention away from them, and let only the fools step forward for the stomping.
FAFO indeed. It’s shaping up as the emerging Trump Doctrine.
Monica Showalter is a journalist whose analyses have appeared in Forbes, the Asia Wall Street Journal, Investors Business Daily, and American Thinker.