- President Trump announced the five percent tariff on Mexican imports on Thursday via Twiter
- The tariffs will start at 5 percent on June 10 before increasing every month unless Mexico takes steps to stop the surge
- It will remain at 25 percent until ‘Mexico substantially stops the illegal inflow of aliens’, a statement from the White House said
- Trump’s move was a dramatic escalation of his battle to control a tide of illegal immigrants that has increased despite his efforts to build a border wall
- U.S. officials said 80,000 people are being held in custody with an average of 4,500 arriving daily
President Donald Trump has vowed to impose a five percent tariff on all goods from Mexico – and claims he will only end it when ‘illegal migrants’ stop crossing the border into the U.S.
In a surprise announcement that could compromise a major trade deal, Trump tweeted news of the tariff on Thursday in a bid to pressure Mexico to do more to crack down in the surge of migrants trying to cross the U.S. border.
The tariffs will start at 5 percent on June 10 before jumping to 10 percent on July 1, 15 percent on August 1, 20 percent on September 1 and go up to 25 percent on October 1 unless Mexico takes steps to stop the surge.
‘On June 10th, the United States will impose a 5% Tariff on all goods coming into our Country from Mexico, until such time as illegal migrants coming through Mexico, and into our Country, STOP,’ he tweeted.
‘The Tariff will gradually increase until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied at which time the Tariffs will be removed.’
In a follow up statement from the White House, Trump said the tariff’s would permanently remain at 25 percent until ‘Mexico substantially stops the illegal inflow of aliens’.
Trump’s move was a dramatic escalation of his battle to control a tide of illegal immigrants that has increased despite his efforts to build a border wall and take other steps.
U.S. officials said 80,000 people are being held in custody with an average of 4,500 arriving daily.
‘If the illegal migration crisis is alleviated through effective actions taken by Mexico, to be determined in our sole discretion and judgment, the tariffs will be removed,’ Trump said.
Mexico’s deputy foreign minister for North America, Jesus Seade, said on Thursday that it would be disastrous if Trump goes through with his threat to impose the tariffs.
‘It would be extremely serious… If this is put in place, we must respond vigorously,’ Seade said.