U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to double tariffs on Mexican goods if Mexico does not stop more than 1,000 migrants heading north toward the U.S. border. The threat was made in a post on the president’s social media network.
“Mexico must stop them now, and if it does not, tariffs on Mexico will immediately be doubled,” Trump wrote. He also said that the migrants would not be allowed into the United States.
According to Reuters, around 1,500 people, mainly from Central America, set out on Tuesday from the city of Tapachula in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, near the border with Guatemala. According to the agency, the migrants headed toward the United States in the hope that the results of the latest elections would lead to a more liberal immigration policy after Democrats take control of Congress in January.
Sheinbaum: There will be no repression
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed that a group of migrants was moving north, but rejected the suggestion that the caravans were reaching the U.S. border. “No migrant caravan has reached the north” since January 2025, she said at her regular briefing, according to the Associated Press.
According to Sheinbaum, a caravan of around 600 people in Chiapas has largely dispersed after participants were informed that reaching the United States would be very difficult. Mexican authorities are also speaking with another group of several hundred Hondurans to encourage them to return to their country.
“There will be no repression,” Sheinbaum said, pointing out that Mexican authorities have experience escorting migrants and explaining the risks along their journey.
Tariffs are part of trade negotiations
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin said Washington would use all means available to ensure border security. “This illegal migrant caravan will not be allowed into the country,” he wrote.
The new threat comes amid negotiations between the United States and Mexico to reduce or eliminate U.S. tariffs on Mexican goods. The Associated Press notes that Washington currently applies a 10% tariff on goods outside the scope of the trade agreement between the United States, Mexico and Canada, as well as a 25% tariff on medium- and heavy-duty trucks.
The United States separately imposes a 50% tariff on Mexican steel and aluminum and a 17% tariff on Mexican tomatoes. It has not yet been announced exactly when a possible doubling would take effect or which categories of goods would be affected.
Sources: investing.com, apnews.com