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Border Arrests Surge to Seven-Year High as Mexico Tries to Head Off Tariffs Border Arrests Surge to 7-Year High as Mexico Tries to Head Off Tariffs
(about 1 hour later)
WASHINGTON — Central American migrants surged across the United States border with Mexico in record numbers in May, officials announced Wednesday, as American and Mexican diplomats began discussions at the White House in a bid to avert potentially crippling economic consequences of President Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on all Mexican imports. WASHINGTON — Central American migrants surged across the United States border with Mexico in May, officials announced on Wednesday, as American and Mexican diplomats began discussions aimed at averting the damaging economic consequences from President Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on all Mexican imports.
More than 144,278 migrants were arrested and taken into custody by Customs and Border Protection along the southwest border during May, a 32 percent increase from April and the highest monthly total in seven years. Most crossed the border illegally, while about 10 percent arrived without the proper documentation at ports of entry along the border. More than 144,200 migrants were arrested and taken into custody by Customs and Border Protection along the southwestern border in May, a 32 percent increase from April and the highest monthly total in seven years. Most crossed the border illegally, while about 10 percent arrived without the proper documentation at ports of entry along the border.
Vice President Mike Pence and other top administration officials are set to meet Wednesday with Mexico’s top diplomat. Mr. Trump has vowed to impose a 5 percent tariff on all goods from Mexico beginning Monday and to increase the tax to 25 percent by October if Mexico does not prevent migrants from illegally entering the United States. The announcement of the surge in border crossings was meant to put pressure on the Mexican government to meet Mr. Trump’s demands that it take quick action to stop the flow of migrants.
The announcement of the surge in border crossings was designed to put pressure on the Mexican government to meet Mr. Trump’s demands that the government take action quickly. But it remained unclear what will satisfy the president, who has offered conflicting statements about his intentions. Vice President Mike Pence and other top administration officials began meeting on Wednesday afternoon at the White House with Mexico’s top diplomat. The talks come ahead of a Monday deadline, set by Mr. Trump, to begin taxing all Mexican goods at 5 percent and to increase the tax to 25 percent by October if Mexico does not prevent migrants from illegally entering the United States.
On Tuesday, Mr. Trump said that it was “more likely that the tariffs” would be imposed. But on Wednesday, the president said he believed Mexico was ready to make a deal to prevent the tariffs from going into effect. But it remained unclear what would satisfy the president, who has offered conflicting statements about his intentions. On Tuesday, Mr. Trump said that it was “more likely that the tariffs” would be imposed. On Wednesday, the president said he believed Mexico was ready to make a deal to prevent the tariffs from going into effect.
“Mexico, you know, wants to make a deal,” Mr. Trump said during a trip to Ireland. “They have their entire delegation right now going over to probably the White House location to negotiate with our people.”“Mexico, you know, wants to make a deal,” Mr. Trump said during a trip to Ireland. “They have their entire delegation right now going over to probably the White House location to negotiate with our people.”
Mexican officials, along with Republican lawmakers, are trying to prevent Mr. Trump from imposing tariffs on Monday, as he has threatened. Marcelo Ebrard, the Mexican foreign minister, is scheduled to meet on Wednesday afternoon at the White House with Mr. Pence, a senior administration official said, in an effort to convince the president that Mexico is doing everything it can to help prevent illegal immigration across the United States border. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Robert Lighthizer, the United States Trade Representative, were also expected to attend the meeting. Mexican officials, along with Republican lawmakers, are trying to prevent Mr. Trump from imposing the tariffs, which could cause economic damage on both sides of the border. Marcelo Ebrard, the Mexican foreign minister, met on Wednesday afternoon at the White House with Mr. Pence, a senior administration official said, in an effort to convince the president that Mexico is doing everything it can to help prevent illegal immigration across the United States border. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Robert Lighthizer, the United States trade representative, were also expected to attend the meeting.
Mr. Trump, frustrated by what he views as Mexico’s failure to stem the flow of migrants, said he would use broad emergency powers to impose punishing tariffs on the country. But top American officials have spoken in vague terms about what steps Mexico must take, and it remains unclear exactly what Mexico could do to persuade Mr. Trump to back down. Mr. Trump, frustrated by what he views as Mexico’s failure to stem the flow of migrants, said he would use broad emergency powers to impose punishing tariffs on the country. But top American officials have spoken in vague terms about what steps Mexico must take in order to get the president to back down.
Peter Navarro, a top trade adviser who has advocated using levies to punish Mexico, said in an interview with CNN on Wednesday that Mr. Trump’s threat had gotten the Mexican government’s attention and that the United States might not have to impose the tariffs. Peter Navarro, a top trade adviser who has advocated using levies to punish Mexico, said on Wednesday in an interview with CNN that Mr. Trump’s threat had gotten the Mexican government’s attention and that the United States might not have to impose the tariffs.
“We believe that these tariffs may not have to go into effect precisely because we have the Mexicans’ attention,” Mr. Navarro said.“We believe that these tariffs may not have to go into effect precisely because we have the Mexicans’ attention,” Mr. Navarro said.
He outlined several things that Mexico must do to prevent the tariffs, including committing to taking “all the asylum seekers and applying Mexican laws which are much stronger than ours.” Mr. Navarro and others in the Trump administration have said the Mexican government must secure its own border with Guatemala, through which many migrants travel on their way to the United States. They have demanded that Mexican officials crack down on transnational gangs that facilitate migrant travel. And they have insisted that Mexico agree to take in all of the asylum seekers who would otherwise claim refuge in the United States.
He also urged Mexico to do more to secure its border with Guatemala and tighten check points for migrants within Mexico. But officials have provided few other specifics about how Mexico could meet those goals quickly enough to stave off Mr. Trump’s anger. Mexico has already tried to secure its own southern border and has long fought transnational gangs.
Mr. Ebrard has also expressed optimism, telling reporters on Tuesday in Washington that there was an 80 percent chance that Mr. Trump would not impose the tariffs. In the past six months, the Mexican government has deported more than 80,500 migrants back to their homes in Central America and elsewhere, according to government data. During the same period, Mexican authorities detained about 400 people accused of trafficking migrants. And nearly 25,000 migrants applied for refuge in Mexico in the first five months of 2019.
“The Mexican government could interdict more migrants for sure, but they can’t just flip a switch and turn off the flow,” said Kevin Appleby, a veteran expert on migration.
In Mexico, there is popular support for treating Central American migrants humanely, and many Mexicans do not want to see President Andrés Manuel López Obrador bow to the wishes of his counterpart in the United States.
“He’s between a rock and a hard place. He doesn’t want to be seen as being a toady to the United States,” said Doug Massey, a professor of sociology at Princeton University and a director of the Mexican Migration Project. “He doesn’t want to violate the human rights of Central Americans, who after all are simply escaping terrible conditions.”
Mr. Ebrard expressed optimism, telling reporters on Tuesday in Washington that there was an 80 percent chance that Mr. Trump would not impose the tariffs.
But others in Washington were more doubtful that the two sides could come to a resolution before Monday’s deadline. Carlos Heredia, a professor at the Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas in Mexico City, said Tuesday that whatever action Mexico takes to prevent migration into the United States, it was unlikely to satisfy the president.But others in Washington were more doubtful that the two sides could come to a resolution before Monday’s deadline. Carlos Heredia, a professor at the Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas in Mexico City, said Tuesday that whatever action Mexico takes to prevent migration into the United States, it was unlikely to satisfy the president.
“If there is any logic to the way that President Trump handles policy, it’s that he likes conflict,” Mr. Heredia said. “I don’t think that there is a way to please Trump.”“If there is any logic to the way that President Trump handles policy, it’s that he likes conflict,” Mr. Heredia said. “I don’t think that there is a way to please Trump.”
Others said that it would take time for Mexico to make the changes the Trump administration was requesting.Others said that it would take time for Mexico to make the changes the Trump administration was requesting.
“This is not going to happen in seven days,” said Arturo Sarukhan, a former Mexican ambassador to the United States. “You can’t enforce your way out of a migration crisis.”“This is not going to happen in seven days,” said Arturo Sarukhan, a former Mexican ambassador to the United States. “You can’t enforce your way out of a migration crisis.”
Mr. Trump’s threat to tax Mexican products has rattled financial markets and prompted an outcry from businesses that would be affected, including automakers, agricultural companies and retailers. The chairman of the Federal Reserve said on Tuesday that the central bank was watching Mr. Trump’s trade war warily and would act to prevent economic damage from the conflict. Mr. Trump’s tariff threat is driven largely by the significant increase in the number of migrants crossing illegally at the border. Having vowed during his campaign to stop illegal immigration, the president views the increasing flow of migrants as a personal affront and a threat to his political brand.
More than 100,000 of those arrested in May were unaccompanied children or migrants traveling as a family when they arrived at the border, officials said. In March 2017, shortly after Mr. Trump took office, that number was about 2,000, according to government records.
“We are at a full blown emergency,” said John Sanders, the acting commissioner of Customs and Border Protection. “I cannot say this stronger: the system is broken.”
Mr. Trump has pushed ahead with the tariff threat against Mexico despite the concerns of some of his advisers, who warned that the measure might derail the effort to finalize his new North American trade deal. The president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who negotiated some of the deal’s provisions with Mexico, had raised concerns about the potential impact on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, as had Mr. Lighthizer and Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary.
But they were opposed by advisers like Mr. Navarro and Stephen Miller, a chief policy adviser, and they were overruled by the president, who argued that tariffs had previously worked to pressure the Mexicans on immigration.
The threat has rattled financial markets and prompted an outcry from businesses that would be affected, including automakers, agricultural companies and retailers. The chairman of the Federal Reserve said on Tuesday that the central bank was watching Mr. Trump’s trade war warily and would act to prevent economic damage from the conflict.
Mr. Trump has made heavy use of tariffs on trading partners from China to Europe, but imposing tariffs on Mexico, the United States’ largest trading partner, would be a significant escalation in the president’s trade war. Mexico is a key supplier of products like fresh tomatoes and grapes; bluejeans; televisions; medical devices; and automobiles. Many companies have created supply chains that snake back and forth across the border — meaning some companies could be forced to pay Mr. Trump’s tariff multiple times as their products travel from farms to factories to consumers.Mr. Trump has made heavy use of tariffs on trading partners from China to Europe, but imposing tariffs on Mexico, the United States’ largest trading partner, would be a significant escalation in the president’s trade war. Mexico is a key supplier of products like fresh tomatoes and grapes; bluejeans; televisions; medical devices; and automobiles. Many companies have created supply chains that snake back and forth across the border — meaning some companies could be forced to pay Mr. Trump’s tariff multiple times as their products travel from farms to factories to consumers.
Businesses are also worried that the president’s move risks derailing what would be his signature trade achievement: passing the newly negotiated North American trade agreement.Businesses are also worried that the president’s move risks derailing what would be his signature trade achievement: passing the newly negotiated North American trade agreement.
The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement was signed last year, but it still needs to be ratified by legislators in all three countries. Mexico submitted the text to its Senate hours before Mr. Trump’s threat. But Mexican officials are unlikely to move forward with that vote with the threat of tariffs hanging over them.The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement was signed last year, but it still needs to be ratified by legislators in all three countries. Mexico submitted the text to its Senate hours before Mr. Trump’s threat. But Mexican officials are unlikely to move forward with that vote with the threat of tariffs hanging over them.
Mr. Ebrard, who has been in Washington all week meeting with Trump administration officials and members of Congress, said earlier in the week that Mexico was already enforcing its own immigration laws but argued that there was more the countries could do to work together. He said Mexican officials had come to Washington ready to “design actions together.” Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, in an interview on Wednesday with Bloomberg News, said he was “concerned and anxious” the tariffs would interfere with ratification of U.S.M.C.A. But he added he was also hopeful that tariffs would not go into effect.
Kevin McAleenan, the acting secretary of homeland security, repeated the administration’s demands in an interview with The Hill published on Tuesday. He said Mexico must crack down on illegal crossings from Guatemala, and use American intelligence to target smuggling operations that try to sneak migrants across the border. “I’m hoping that we can find some reasonable, actionable items that Mexico can achieve that would again ameliorate the president’s actions here,” Mr. Perdue said.
Mr. McAleenan also said the administration expects Mexico to help tighten the shared border, even though the Mexican government has agreed to take in migrants while their asylum cases are processed in the United States. Republican senators are mobilizing to prevent the White House from moving ahead with tariffs, warning Mr. Trump on Tuesday that they were almost uniformly opposed to his plans to tax Mexican imports.
“We can’t have the situation where 1,000 people in one group can cross the border at 4 a.m. without any interdiction or any effort to stop that unlawful activity,” said Mr. McAleenan, citing a group that illegally crossed last week into El Paso. The group of 1,036 migrants was the largest ever recorded by the Department of Homeland Security to cross illegally into the United States.
But Mexico has maintained that it is already taking action to stem the flow of migrants.
Mexico’s ambassador to the United States, Martha Bárcena, said in a press conference Monday that without Mexico’s efforts, many more migrants would be arriving at American borders.
“There is a clear limit to what we can negotiate,” Ms. Bárcena said. “And that limit is Mexican dignity.”
On Tuesday, Mr. Ebrard met for a half-hour with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and several other Democratic lawmakers.
Republican senators are also mobilizing to prevent the White House from moving ahead with tariffs, warning Mr. Trump on Tuesday that they were almost uniformly opposed to his plans to tax Mexican imports.
Several big states would be hit hard by the proposed tariffs on Mexican products, including Texas, Michigan, California, Illinois and Ohio, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.Several big states would be hit hard by the proposed tariffs on Mexican products, including Texas, Michigan, California, Illinois and Ohio, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
“We’re holding a gun to our own heads,” said Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas.“We’re holding a gun to our own heads,” said Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas.
Officials at Customs and Border Protection were making preparations on Wednesday to begin imposing the tariffs just after midnight on Monday morning.Officials at Customs and Border Protection were making preparations on Wednesday to begin imposing the tariffs just after midnight on Monday morning.
In an interview, a Customs spokesman said the department was waiting for Mr. Trump to issue a presidential proclamation, which would then by followed by a Federal Register notice, outlining the basis for the tariffs and the universe of Mexican products to which they would apply. But even without a formal order establishing the tariffs, Customers workers are already building up the informational technology infrastructure needed to apply the tariffs on Monday morning to importers bringing in goods from Mexico. Mr. Ebrard said earlier in the week that Mexican officials had come to Washington ready to “design actions together.”
Officials said they were readying technical guidance for importers, to help them properly fill out paperwork and pay the appropriate tariff — and preparing to assist those importers who have grown accustomed to paying no tariffs under the terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement. But Mexico’s ambassador to the United States, Martha Bárcena, appeared less hopeful.
They also said administration officials are still discussing whether there will be exemptions for certain industries from the tariffs, and whether there will be a formal process for American companies to apply for tariff exclusions for certain products they import, as was the case with steel and aluminum tariffs and some tariffs on products from China. “There is a clear limit to what we can negotiate,” Ms. Bárcena said. “And that limit is Mexican dignity.”