President Donald Trump on Thursday warned Mexico to stop caravans of migrants traveling through the country from reaching the United States, threatening to slap economic penalties on Washington’s southern neighbor if it fails to do so.
In recent weeks, crowds of mostly Central American migrants from Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Haiti, Guatemala, and elsewhere have been making their way to the U.S. despite Mexico’s attempts to block them. One group of about 2,000 people left Mexico’s city of Tapachula over the weekend, with some expressing hope that Democratic gains in last week’s midterm elections will ease immigration policy. Tapachula is roughly 1,150 miles from the U.S. border.
Trump weighed in on the situation this week, urging Mexican authorities to stop the caravans, and announced he will double tariffs on the country if it doesn’t take action.
“Here we go again! With the perceived loss by the Republicans in the Midterms – I WAS NOT ON THE BALLOT- the INVASION of our Country is taking place again,” Trump said in a post to Truth Social.
“Huge CARAVANS are forming and beginning their illegal march through Mexico. Many of the people in these Caravans are those that various countries don’t want – ‘Send them to America,’ they say – But they will not be accepted! MEXICO MUST STOP THEM, NOW, and if they do not do so, the Tariffs on Mexico will be IMMEDIATELY DOUBLED,” the president continued. “There will be no leniency!”
The Department of Homeland Security and State Department officials have already issued warnings to migrants looking to cross into the U.S. that they will be “apprehended, prosecuted, and removed from the country.”
“[United States Border Patrol] USBP reminds migrants that under the leadership of President Trump and Homeland Secretary Mullin, the border has remained closed and secured for the last 16 months,” DHS told Fox News earlier this fall. Any migrants considering making the journey to the southern border should be aware that the days of “catch and release” are over, “and Biden’s disastrous open border policy has been SEALED SHUT,” it added.
Two days after Democrats won majorities in both chambers of Congress, and flipped key seats in border states like Texas blue, the American Embassy in El Salvador added its own stern warning, admonishing migrants not to view the results as indicative of a change in immigration policy.
ABBOTT SPENT YEARS FORTIFYING THE TEXAS BORDER. HINOJOSA COULD UNDO IT ALL
“U.S. immigration laws remain in effect. The midterm election results do not represent changes to current immigration policies,” the embassy said. “The government continues to enforce existing laws and maintains border security as a priority. Inform yourself through official sources,” it added.
While Trump’s latest warning on the border is in line with his typical rhetoric, the president leaned into a more bipartisan approach on immigration after Democrats swept the midterms last week. At the time, Trump said he would be open to making an immigration deal with Democrats, suggesting “good” migrants who crossed illegally into the U.S. and hold solid blue-collar jobs could be offered a path to legal status.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
