Luis Videgaray, an ally of President Enrique Peña Nieto, said in an interview Wednesday the idea of "using Mexicans' public money to build something that would of course bring no benefit to Mexico" is an "absurdity."

"Under no circumstance will Mexico pay for the wall that Mr. Trump is proposing," said Videgaray. "Building a wall between Mexico and the United States is a terrible idea. It is an idea based on ignorance and has no foundation in the reality of North American integration."

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Trump's presidential campaign has centered around constructing a wall along the Mexican border as a "core principle of real immigration reform."

The idea has been panned by Mexican politicians of all political tendencies, with two ex-presidents, Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderón, railing against the concept. Calderón called the wall "stupid," while Fox used an expletive in declaring the idea moot.

In last week's Republican debate, Trump was asked about Fox's statement and retorted, "the wall just got 10 feet taller."

Other members of the Mexican cabinet have similarly slammed the idea. Secretary of Foreign Affairs Claudia Ruiz Massieu said last month of Trump, "When an apple’s red, it is red. When you say ignorant things, you’re ignorant."

Videgaray took on a more technical tone, arguing that net migration from Mexico has been negative for the past five years, and that the two countries should focus on improving border infrastructure.