Was This The Right Time for Clinton to Ask for Money in Mexico?

The Mexican economy isn't strong enough to produce a job for every able-bodied Mexican worker who needs one. If all these workers were trapped inside Mexico, the economy would capsize. Protesters would fill the streets. So Mexico encourages its people to head north. And, once they arrive in the United States, Mexicans start working and send home about $25 billion annually in remittances, which strengthens the Mexican economy. So for Mexico, illegal immigration into the United States is a win-win, and something it would like to see continue.

However, many Americans think Mexico is playing Uncle Sam for a sucker. A lot of them are supporting Donald Trump, who has promised that, if elected, he'll build a giant and "beautiful" wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and send our neighbor the bill.

How are Mexico's leaders responding? Not well. Recently, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto compared Trump to Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. And a few weeks ago, his predecessor, Vicente Fox, said that there was no way that Mexico would pay for Trump's "[bleeping] wall."

Like it or not, Trump has ignited a rhetorical war with Mexico. For nine months, ever since he referred to Mexican immigrants as criminals and rapists, the billionaire has been attacked and ridiculed by everyone from Mexican rock musicians to the manufacturers of Trump pinatas.

And amid this cross-border tension, the Clinton campaign didn't think about how it would look for it to go to Mexico and raise money?

Were these fundraisers even worth the potential controversy? The campaign already has plenty of money, having raised more than $100 million so far in trying to win the Democratic nomination. You know what the Clinton campaign could really use? The trust of the American people. Stories like this don't help.

When contacted by a reporter about the Mexican fundraisers, the Clinton campaign did not respond to comment.

We've been here before, and we'll likely be here again. The Clintons always push the envelope, especially when it comes to money.

After all, there are still unanswered questions about fundraising for the Clinton Foundation and concerns that foreign entities might have received preferential treatment from the Clinton State Department after making donations.

And yet this time, by going south of the border with their tin cup, the Clintons may have gone too far.

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Ruben Navarrette's email address is ruben@rubennavarrette.com.