News Mar 31, 2017 10:03 PM EDT

Mexico's largest cement company Cemex won't build Trump's border wall

By April Kirstin Chua

Mexico's largest cement company clarifies it won't take part in materializing President Donald Trump's border wall. Cemex executives announced on Thursday that the construction firm would have no involvement in constructing the wall in the US/Mexico border.

This is contrary to what the multinational building materials and construction firm said on March 2. Cemex board chairman Rogelio Zambrano told Reforma newspaper that the company is open to providing quotes to supply the raw materials for Trump's promised border wall. Earlier this week, Zambrano clarified the matter saying that Cemex will not participate in the construction of the wall.

Cemex, one of the world's largest cement producers, has not participated in the first round of bids that is currently underway as reported by CNN Money. Asked whether Cemex would provide materials to help build and construct the wall, Zambrano said that he had already been clear about the particular matter. "If one of our clients requests a quote for materials, we have the responsibility to do so," the company said in a statement at the time. "But this does not imply that Cemex will participate in the project."

Trump recently requested for $1 billion as the first installment to build his envisioned border wall. The project would cost an estimate between $12 billion and $24 billion. The Department of Homeland Security has started soliciting bids, earlier this month, and over 300 businesses have expressed interest in taking part to build the border wall. US firms remain unshaken and have submitted proposals to the Trump administration.

Meanwhile, the decision of Cemex not to take part in constructing the border wall brings a point well-made by Mexico's foreign minister Luis Videgaray. Earlier this March, Videgaray told companies to examine their conscience before deciding whether to participate in building the wall. He argued and stressed that nationality takes precedent over profits.


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