Mexican president says closing border will benefit neither Mexico nor US

MEXICO CITY -- A possible closure of the Mexico-US border to stop the flow of migrants as suggested by US President Donald Trump would benefit neither Mexico nor the United States, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Wednesday.

"Closing the borders is not in anyone's interest. It's not recommended," Lopez Obrador said during his daily press conference.

Lopez Obrador added that there is "very good communication" with the US government and that Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard has, in that sense, "constant communication."

On Tuesday, Ebrard said US officials have told him there is no intention to close the border.

Lopez Obrador said that "up to now, I can tell you that the channels, the checkpoints are open."

In the past few days, problems involving the flow of traffic have been reported at the US-Mexico border due to a reduction in the number of US officials, especially at checkpoints in Ciudad Juarez which borders the US city of El Paso.

Since last week, Trump has threatened to close the extensive shared border, arguing that the Mexican government is not acting to stop the wave of Central Americans who cross Mexico on their way to the United States.

The flow of Central Americans, primarily from Honduras, began to increase last October with the formation of massive caravans, an unusual immigration phenomenon from Central American countries.