Trump Gives Mexico a 'One-Year Warning' with Threat of Border Closure and Tariffs
President Donald Trump on Thursday walked back his repeated threats to shut down the nation’s southern border, saying he instead will give Mexico a one-year warning.
Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House, said he is giving the Mexican government a “one-year warning” to stop the flow of immigration and drugs through its country.
If satisfactory progress is not met, the president said, he will not only close the border but also slap the country with tariffs.
“We’re going to give them a one-year warning, and if the drugs don’t stop or largely stop, we’re going to put tariffs on Mexico and products, particularly cars. … And if that doesn’t stop the drugs, we close the border,” he said, according to The Washington Post.
The comments come after Trump has threatened to close the U.S.-Mexico border, arguing that the Mexican government has done nothing to stem the flow of illegal migrants trekking through its land and ultimately reaching the U.S. border.
“Mexico must use its very strong immigration laws to stop the many thousands of people trying to get into the USA. Our detention areas are maxed out & we will take no more illegals. Next step is to close the Border! This will also help us with stopping the Drug flow from Mexico!” Trump tweeted Saturday.
Mexico must use its very strong immigration laws to stop the many thousands of people trying to get into the USA. Our detention areas are maxed out & we will take no more illegals. Next step is to close the Border! This will also help us with stopping the Drug flow from Mexico!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 30, 2019
While the majority of illegal immigrants are from the Central American countries of El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, the president blames Mexico for allowing them to continually pass through its territory unabated.
However, the threats were met with a bipartisan backlash, as Republicans and Democrats voiced concerns that a closed border would devastate the economy. Democratic lawmakers introduced a resolution Thursday that specifically condemns Trump’s border closure warnings.
“Shutting down the border would have disastrous consequences for both the U.S. and Mexico,” Rep. Henry Cuellar, one of the four Texas Democratic sponsors of the resolution, said in a statement.
“Shutting down the entire border would not only severely disrupt the flow of goods, but it would also hamper tourism and create economic chaos for both economies,” Cuellar said.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, typically a strong ally of the president’s agenda, broke with the administration Wednesday when he said he wouldn’t support closing the southern border.
“Closing the border to legal commerce would be devastating to Texas,” the GOP senator said.
“Millions of jobs in Texas and across the country depend upon trade with Mexico,” Cruz said, “and the Federal Government shouldn’t do anything to jeopardize those jobs.”
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