Image provided by Mexico's Presidency shows Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto preparing to deliver a speech in Mexico City, capital of Mexico, on Jan. 25, 2017. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said Wednesday that his country rejects the U.S. decision to build a border wall and "will not pay for any wall." (Xinhua/Mexico's Presidency)
MEXICO CITY, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said Wednesday that his country rejects the U.S. decision to build a border wall and "will not pay for any wall."
"I regret and reject the decision of the United States to continue building a wall that, for years, far from uniting us, divides us," he said in a video statement posted on Twitter.
His reaction came after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border earlier in the day.
"Mexico does not believe in walls. I have said it over and over again: Mexico will not pay for any wall," said the Mexican leader.
He also noted that he will decide on the next steps based on the final report from the Mexican officials now in Washington, and after consultation with the representatives of the Senate and the National Conference of Governors.
Building a wall between the United States and Mexico was a central and controversial part of Trump's campaign pledge, which drew support from low-income voters who believe that their jobs have been taken away by Mexicans as well as ire from opponents who consider the wall to be a symbol of xenophobia.
Trump has maintained that Mexico would ultimately bear the cost of building the wall, but once hinted that the U.S. government would finance the wall initially for the "sake of speed."
