Trump's State of the Union Speech: Mexican residents' reaction after year of Trump's hardline stance

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Across the border, Mexicans watched the US president's State of the Union address with particular interest. Many expected Trump to take a hardline on their country, as he's done in the past. But some were surprised by his softer approach, as Franc Contreras reports from Mexico City.

During the 2016 US presidential election, then candidate Donald Trump often attacked Mexico - calling Mexican migrants rapists and criminals, and promising to build a border wall and make Mexico pay for it.

But in his first state of the nation address, President Trump only mentioned Mexico one time - when he said a Chrysler factory in Mexico would be moving to Michigan. Trump did not mention that Chrysler's move was planned before he took office.

During his speech to the US Congress, Trump also presented a four-point plan to attack undocumented immigration. He said it will include the construction of a "great wall" to protect that country's southern border. But he said nothing about having Mexico pay for it.

Mariana Monroy is a filmmaker who lives in the Mexican capital. She says Trump's border wall plan worries her.

MARIANA MONROY MEXICO CITY RESIDENT "Trump's border wall plan seems horrible to me. But it's also horrible how Mexico's government is not taking a more forceful and clear stance against it."

The US president's address did not go unnoticed across Mexico and Latin America.

FRANC CONTRERAS MEXICO CITY "Mexico City has dozens of daily newspapers and many of them are leading with the US president's State of the Union address and his intention to continue the US crack-down on illegal immigration."

Thirty-three-year-old Martin Diaz, a historian, watched Mexican news reports of Trump's speech. He's worried the US president might end the North American Free Trade Agreement and harm Mexico's economy. He's also concerned about mass deportations.

MARTIN DIAZ MEXICO CITY RESIDENT "If there are mass deportations of Mexicans out of the United States, we will have a large social problem here because neither our government nor the private sector has the proper infrastructure to provide them with health and education services."

Mexicans took note when the US president promised to increase the number of US border patrol agents along the border. But missing was the familiar harsher tone President Trump has taken in the past. FC, CGTN, Mexico City.