‘You Can’t Govern a Country Like That’

President Donald Trump sat down with Fox Noticias’ Rachel Campos-Duffy to discuss a wide range of topics including trade policy, his administration’s economic agenda, immigration, and border security. But one of the first issues he raised was Mexico’s response to drug trafficking organizations. Concretely, Trump told Campos-Duffy that Mexico is “very, very scared of cartels” and said he believes cartels “control great parts of Mexico.”

Trump, however, repeatedly praised his relationship with President Claudia Sheinbaum, saying the United States wants to support her and Mexico in their fight against organized crime.

“It’s hard to believe how well I get along with their new president,” Trump said. “With me, the new president, who is a very good woman — I have to say the relationship is very good — and we want to help her, and we want to help Mexico, because you can’t govern a country like that.”

Trump added that drug cartels have “made a fortune” for years, but said that activity has been “cut back a lot because of the border.” He added that the U.S.-Mexico border is now “very secure,” crediting executive action rather than new laws for the drop in illegal crossings.

“The border is very secure right now. And we didn’t need legislation. We needed a president who would say: ‘It’s over. No more people are coming in,'” Trump said during a passage of the interview.

Data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows that the agency recorded its lowest number of crossings along the southern border last month, averaging roughly 264 apprehensions per day.

In March 2025, Border Patrol agents apprehended 7,181 undocumented immigrants attempting to cross between ports of entry — a 14% drop from February and a 95% decrease compared to March 2024, when 137,473 individuals were caught in that situation.

Trump also emphasized the role of the border wall in reducing illegal immigration.

“You know, walls work,” he said. “Remember when they used to say — Democrats would say — that we don’t need walls? Well, there are two things that work: walls and wheels. They will never change. Everything else becomes obsolete immediately, but walls and wheels never change. And right now we have a very secure border.”

Trump Proposes “Self-Deportation” Program

While talking to Fox Noticias, Trump announced plans to launch a voluntary “self-deportation” initiative that would offer financial incentives to undocumented immigrants who choose to leave the country.

“We’re going to give them some money and a plane ticket, and then we’re going to work with them,” he said. “If they’re good, if we want them to come back, we’re going to work with them so they can return as quickly as possible.”

Trump suggested the program would provide a path to legal reentry for some participants in the future.

In recent weeks, the Trump administration has been ramping up pressure on undocumented immigrants to leave voluntarily. Migrants are being asked to submit their “intent to depart” through a mobile application developed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, known as CBP Home.

“The CBP Home app gives aliens the option to leave now and self-deport, so they may still have the opportunity to return legally in the future and live the American dream,” said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in a statement. “If they don’t, we will find them, we will deport them, and they will never return.”