Donald Trump announced that his proposed tariffs on Mexican goods have been “indefinitely suspended” after the U.S. and Mexico reached an agreement on immigration enforcement. According to Reuters , the two countries struck a deal that will expand current policies around controlling the flow of migrants crossing the southern border.
The president made the announcement via Twitter on Friday.
“I am pleased to inform you that The United States of America has reached a signed agreement with Mexico. The Tariffs scheduled to be implemented by the U.S. on Monday, against Mexico, are hereby indefinitely suspended. Mexico, in turn, has agreed to take strong measures to stem the tide of Migration through Mexico, and to our Southern Border,” he wrote. “This is being done to greatly reduce, or eliminate, Illegal Immigration coming from Mexico and into the United States. Details of the agreement will be released shortly by the State Department. Thank you!”
The announcement is a stark reversal of the tariff that Trump announced last week in an attempt to reduce the number of undocumented immigrants entering the United States. Since the announcement was made, representatives from the two countries have been working together to avoid the threat, which would impose 5 percent tariffs on all goods imported from Mexico, gradually escalating to 25 percent.
The proposal drew criticism from both Democrats as well as Republicans, in addition to business leaders who said that the move would harm both of the countries’ economies.
According to the agreement, Mexico will take steps to increase enforcement to curb migration, which includes increasing the presence of its National Guard. The agreement also dictates that individuals caught crossing the border in order to seek asylum will be “rapidly returned” to Mexico, where they will wait for a determination to be made about their asylum claims.
“Analysts said the changes announced on immigration appeared to amount to little more than a continuation of steps the two countries had already agreed in December. …” IOW Trump backed down amid party complaints about pending economic/political doom. https://t.co/Hv3xtO6vtq
— Joy-Ann (Pro-Democracy) Reid ? (@JoyAnnReid) June 8, 2019
This asylum deal has been criticized by progressives because some asylum seekers have been harmed while living in Mexican cities like Reynosa, waiting for their cases to be heard. It was challenged in court this year under claims that it put asylum seekers in unnecessary danger. The policy was halted by a federal judge but the U.S. appeals court overturned the decision.
The negotiations failed to hammer out a deal that would force Mexico to permanently take in Central American asylum seekers. Mexico and the U.S. will continue negotiations over the next 90 days and may add to or alter the current agreement during that time.
