Trump threatens to double tariffs on Mexico over migrants

President Donald Trump threatened to double tariffs on goods from Mexico “immediately” if the country did not stop what he claimed were migrant caravans preparing to head to the US, ratcheting up trade tensions with a major economic partner. “MEXICO MUST STOP THEM, NOW, and if they do not do so, the Tariffs on Mexico will be IMMEDIATELY DOUBLED,” Trump said in a social media post Nov. 12. The president did not provide a timeline for Mexico to act and it was not immediately clear what legal authority he had to double levies on imports following a Supreme Court decision earlier this year curtailing his tariff powers. Mexico’s peso slipped, touching session lows after Trump’s post. Mexico’s Foreign and Economy Ministries didn’t immediately reply to requests for comment. Reuters reported Nov. 11 that a small group of migrants was moving through Mexico after the U.S. midterm elections. Trump in his post claimed that “Huge CARAVANS” were forming. The president repeatedly cited the drop in border crossings under his administration in his pitch to voters ahead of last week’s election in which voters widely rejected his Republican party. Despite devastating losses for the GOP, Trump signaled his intention to maintain his hardline stance on immigration by naming Stephen Miller, the architect of Trump’s aggressive anti-immigration policies, to be chief of staff. Trump has repeatedly made tariff threats against U.S. trading partners in order to extract concessions, following through on some but holding off on others. The Trump administration is currently engaged in negotiations with Mexico after the president declined to extend…

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