Trump threatens to double tariffs on Mexico if it does not stop the migrant caravan

President Donald Trump threatened Thursday to immediately double tariffs on Mexico if the Mexican government does not stop the migrant caravans that, he said, are heading toward the border with the United States.

In a post on his Truth Social network, Trump wrote: “MEXICO MUST STOP THEM, NOW, and if they do not do so, the Tariffs on Mexico will be IMMEDIATELY DOUBLED.” He said he had already notified the Mexican government, the governor of Texas, the Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The caravan in question, about 1,500 people, mostly from Central America, set out Tuesday from Tapachula, in southern Mexico, under the name “God With Us” and heading for Mexico City. Trump linked its formation to the Republican defeat in last week’s midterm elections.

The president did not specify which tariffs would be doubled and set no deadline. According to Bloomberg, it is also unclear whether he can legally do so, after a Supreme Court ruling this year that limited his tariff powers. As of Thursday morning, the Mexican government had not responded publicly.

It is the third caravan to attempt to cross Mexico since September; the previous two were broken up by the authorities and their members received temporary stay permits, according to the New York Post.

Follow-up to “God With Us” caravan advances through Chiapas toward the U.S. border.

Photo: Reuters

Source: New York Post