Tipsheet

Abbott Accepts Mexico's Offer to Help Hurricane Harvey Relief Efforts

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he has accepted Mexico’s offer to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

"Yes. I have, and we are," Abbott told reporters in Austin when asked about the offer. “We had a list of aid and assistance that they have offered to provide that we are accepting."

Carlos Gonzalez Gutierrez, the consul general in Austin, was happy the governor accepted the offer and said help in the form of boats, vehicles, and food will be arriving within days.

"We are very pleased with Governor Abbott's response," Gutierrez said. "Mexico looks forward to doing its share."

Mexico, in a diplomatic note Tuesday, provided a long list of items it could supply, including troops, convoys of food, medicine, portable showers and water. […]

In Washington, following a meeting at the State Department, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson thanked Mexican Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray Caso for its "wide range of assistance."

"It was very generous of Mexico to offer their help at a very, very challenging time for our citizens back in Texas," he said.

Videgaray responded: "You're absolutely welcome. We are here to help. We are friends. We are neighbors, and that's what friends do." (Dallas News)

Carlos Sada, Mexico's undersecretary for North American relations, echoed Videgaray’s remarks.

"Texas and Mexico share more than half the border," he said. "There are families, marriages, businesses that bind our two sides. This is about being good neighbors."

President Trump has yet to respond to Mexico’s offer to help.