His annual state of the union address comes as negotiators from Mexico, the US and Canada hold a second round of talks in Mexico City on proposals for an updated North American Free Trade Agreement, which Trump has repeatedly called the “worst” trade deal ever signed.
Pena Nieto also rejected “any expression of discrimination” towards so-called “Dreamers”, illegal immigrants, mostly Mexicans, who went to the US as minors and who are currently protected from deportation by Obama-era legislation.
Trump, who famously called Mexican immigrants “rapists” during his presidential campaign, has said he will announce his decision on whether to allow the continuation of the programme, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), on Tuesday.
“We will continue to work towards a secure border and on issues that affect both countries with our northern neighbour,” Pena Nieto said in his 90-minute speech at the Palacio Nacional in Mexico City. Without making direct mention of Trump’s proposed wall, he continued, “I have said it before and I reiterate. We will not accept anything that goes against our dignity as a nation”.
The goal of the Nafta renegotiations, he added, was that all three countries involved win. Mexico was taking part in the renegotiations with “seriousness, good faith and constructive spirit”, he said.
Earlier this week, Trump once again insisted that Mexico would pay for a wall between the two countries and accused Mexico and Canada of being “difficult” in the Nafta talks, threatening to withdraw altogether from the agreement.
On Saturday, Trump said he was also discussing with his advisors whether to withdraw a free trade agreement with South Korea, despite the risk of causing tensions with an ally just as North Korea grows increasingly confrontational.
Mexican officials have said they will walk away from negotiations if Trump moves to trigger a six-month withdrawal clause from Nafta, which would put the renegotiations under time pressure.
The talks in Mexico City, which began on Friday, are focused on 25 topics. A first round was held in Washington August 16-20.
US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Canada’s Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland and Mexico’s Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo are expected to join the talks on Tuesday.
Experts say Nafta, which came into effect in 1994 and created one of the world’s largest free trade zones, has more than tripled US trade with Canada and Mexico.
Tropical Storm Lidia’s death toll rose to at least seven people, including two children, as the storm doused various states in Mexico with heavy rain on Saturday and left a severe trail of damage in the Baja California peninsula, authorities said.
The victims were either electrocuted or drowned while trying to cross streams, according to a report from the prosecutor’s office in the state of Baja California Sur, home to the tourist area Los Cabos, that was cited by local media.
The storm, which continued to churn through various states, particularly in Western Mexico, also cut off power and damaged homes and roads in Baja California Sur, where some 3,000 people were taken to shelter.
Lidia was located 110km north of Punta Eugenia, moving at a speed of 19 kilometres per hour to the northeast with maximum sustained winds of 65kph, the National Hurricane Center in the US said.