SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE, Guanajuato — This colonial jewel, with its cobblestone streets, Spanish architecture and Gothic-style pink stone cathedral, has long been a magnet for thousands of Americans who call the Guanajuato city home.
These days, however, things are growing a bit tense, according to dallasnews.com.
As bids to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border come in, and fears of mass deportations in the U.S. grow, some Mexicans and the American expatriates among them are growing uneasy about the possibility of nationalism on both sides of the border, harming what’s long been a strong relationship.
Carolina Rodriguez, a massage therapist, wrestles with her emotions.
“We could also treat Americans badly here, be mean-spirited, be as hateful as Americans across the border,” said Rodriguez. “But in the end, we’re human beings, and I’m not going to lower myself to the level of Americans and talk about walls, kicking Americans out of San Miguel. Not yet, and I don’t imagine myself doing that because we need one another. But yes, when I read about what’s happening to relatives, compatriots, I do feel offended and increasingly angry.”
Carlos Heredia, the chairman of International Studies at CIDE, a research university in Mexico City, is worried that a rise in nationalism in Mexico would hurt both sides. “I’m watching this carefully,” Heredia said, “and with deep worries.”
As tensions rise, some Mexicans are beginning to show their displeasure with their pocketbooks.
“I’m not like Trump. You must respect people,” said Laura Padilla, owner of a bed-and-breakfast in San Miguel. She’s so upset, she no longer plans to travel to Texas to shop or vacation on South Padre Island or in Aspen, Colo. , as has been her annual custom. “This year, I canceled everything. I don’t want to know anything about the U.S., much less Trump.”
” ‘I’m not going, not with the wall they want to build,’ they tell me,” said Vargas.
And that could also include Easter vacation, when many families in Mexico visit Texas because schools don’t have classes for two weeks. Vargas is already looking forward to the fall, when he usually takes busloads of Cowboys fans to Dallas. He hopes the peso will recover by then because he thinks “fan loyalty is stronger” than any anti-Trump feelings.
Mexico is the top foreign destination for American retirees, and San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, is among the preferred cities. (PHOTO: dallasnews.com)
Real estate companies are telling Americans considering a move to Mexico that there’s no reason for concern about a possible backlash during the Trump presidency.
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Source: dallasnews.com
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