Mexico president tells Donald Trump: 'America First is a fallacy' in response to tariff threat
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A group of 1,036 migrants that crossed the border illegally into El Paso, Texas, is the largest the Border Patrol has ever encountered, the agency said Thursday. (May 31)
AP, AP
WASHINGTON – The president of Mexico says he wants to avoid a confrontation with the United States, but had harsh words about President Donald Trump’s plan to impose tariffs on Mexican goods to pressure the nation to stem the flow of Central American migrants.
“America First is a fallacy,†President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, often referred to as AMLO, said in a public letter released late Thursday.
López Obrador also announced he was sending his foreign minister to Washington, D.C., on Friday to negotiate with U.S. officials ahead of a June 10 deadline set by Trump.
In a Thursday tweet, Trump said that on June 10 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.”
In the tweet and in a separate written statement, Trump claimed that the tariff will escalate by 5 percentage points each month until “the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied,” at which time it will be removed. Trump said the tariff could reach 25% by Oct. 1.
As for Trump’s statements, AMLO said: “With all due respect, although you have the right to express it, ‘America First’ is a fallacy because until the end of times, even beyond national borders, justice and universal fraternity will prevail.”
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. The Tariff will gradually increase until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied,..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2019
Trump did not define what a sufficient solution would be to stop the wave after wave of Central American migrants journeying through Mexico to reach the U.S. southern border.
Through the first seven months of the 2019 fiscal year, U.S. Border Patrol agents have apprehended more than 280,000 migrants entering the country illegally who are minors or members of family units. Of those, 97% are from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, and only 3% are from Mexico, according to Border Patrol data.
In his written statement, Trump also said:Â “Workers who come to our country through the legal admissions process, including those working on farms, ranches, and in other businesses, will be allowed easy passage.”
In his public letter responding to Trump, López Obrador said Mexico is already doing what it can to stop the migration, and added that “social problems are not solved with duties or coercive measures.”
He said he is developing plans with Central America and told Trump: “Please, remember that I do not lack valor, that I am not a coward nor timorous but rather act according to principles.â€
Citing the United States’ history as a nation of immigrants, López Obrador also told Trump: “The Statue of Liberty is not an empty symbol.â€
Contributing: Alan Gomez
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Asylum-seeking families with their children staying in tents housing waiting for their names to be called by CBP at the border in San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico. Ana Landa Cenova, a single mother of two from Veracruz, Mexico, said she came to San Luis fleeing violence in her hometown. She said she expected that crossing through here would be easier than other larger cities, with longer wait times, or safer than through Texas. But she stays her so far has been filled with hardship, especially for her two children, a six-year-old Kimberly, and a one-year-old Emanuel. “It’s been so tough.” She has been staying out for two months. She heard about Trump’s threats about possibly closing the border, and it worries her, not least of all, because she’s close to having her name called. “I’m among the next numbers that will be called, so I won’t lose my faith. Hopefully in the next week I’ll get called,†she said.
![Guatemalan asylum seeker Miley blows bubbles at the new Casa del Refugiado in east El Paso, Texas, as her father Jaime looks on. Jaime said their life in Guatemala was getting very dangerous. There are people who will kill you for a quetzal or your cell phone. People board the bus with a gun and rob everybody. he said. Its hard to live there.]()
1 of 20![Migrants find anywhere they can to sleep at the Albergue Para Migrantes El Buen Pastor in Juarez as they await their number to be called by U.S. authorities for their asylum hearing on May 1, 2019.]()
2 of 20![Border Patrol agents check a tunnel in the Rio Grande basin Wednesday as they search for asylum seekers on May 1, 2019 between El Paso and Juarez.]()
3 of 20![A Central American asylum seeker washes her familys laundry in a sink at the Albergue Para Migrantes El Buen Pastor in Juarez. Asylum seekers are seeing long waits for their number to be called by U.S. authorities.]()
4 of 20![Border agents watch a popular crossing point along El Pasos border with Juarez as asylum seekers continue to flow through the border on May 1, 2019.]()
5 of 20![A Guatemalan girl peeks from behind the pew she sleeps in at the Albergue Para Migrantes El Buen Pastor as her family awaits their number to be called for their initial asylum hearing on May 1, 2019.]()
6 of 20![A Border Patrol agent walks with a family of asylum seekers after they crossed the border near downtown El Paso. Hundreds of Central Americans are crossing into El Paso seeking asylum daily.]()
7 of 20![A tote board in the courtyard of the Albergue Para Migrantes El Buen Pastor lets asylum seekers know when their number is close. Many at the shelter had numbers well over 12,000.]()
8 of 20![Pastor Juan Fierro locks up a warehouse he is converting into additional shelter space for asylum seekers in Juarez on May 1, 2019. His current shelter Albergue Para Migrantes El Buen Pastor, which is across the street, is at capacity.]()
9 of 20![Asylum seekers at the Albergue Para Migrantes El Buen Pastor pass the times as they await their initial asylum hearings.]()
10 of 20![A young girl keeps warm under her blanket at the new Casa del Refugiado in east El Paso, Texas. Annunciaiton House, which houses asylum seekers, recently opened a 125,000-square-foot center which will house over 1,000 migrants once fully operational. The El Paso area is seeing over 1,000 migrant releases daily.]()
11 of 20![A Guatemalan man poses for a photo with his young son at the new Casa del Refugiado in east El Paso on April, 24, 2019. Behind him, a full-wall mural which reads Esperanza, or hope. The new 125,000 square foot center run by Annunciation House could house well over 1,000 asylum seekers once the facility is up to code. Annunciation house is asking for volunteer electricians, plumbers and others to help make the center livable.]()
12 of 20![Migrants are loaded onto a bus at the Border Patrol Headquarters on Hondo Pass in El Paso Saturday. The facility at the headquarters will grow as they build a large tent to house asylum seekers on Saturday, April, 20, 2019.]()
13 of 20![Asylum-seeking families with their children staying in tents housing waiting for their names to be called by CBP at the border in San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico. Residents in the twin cities of San Luis, Arizona and San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora remained a bit on edge over this potential scenario on Monday, although there were some more immediate concerns they had in the meantime.]()
14 of 20![Asylum-seeking families with their children staying in tents housing waiting for their names to be called by CBP at the border in San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico.]()
15 of 20![Asylum-seeking families with their children staying in tents housing waiting for their names to be called by CBP at the border in San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico.]()
16 of 20![Asylum-seeking families with their children staying in tents housing waiting for their names to be called by CBP at the border in San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico on April 2, 2019.]()
17 of 20![Asylum-seeking families with their children staying in tents housing waiting for their names to be called by CBP at the border in San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico.]()
18 of 20![Asylum-seeking families with their children staying in tents housing waiting for their names to be called by CBP at the border in San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico.]()
19 of 20![Asylum-seeking families with their children staying in tents housing waiting for their names to be called by CBP at the border in San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico. Ana Landa Cenova, a single mother of two from Veracruz, Mexico, said she came to San Luis fleeing violence in her hometown. She said she expected that crossing through here would be easier than other larger cities, with longer wait times, or safer than through Texas. But she stays her so far has been filled with hardship, especially for her two children, a six-year-old Kimberly, and a one-year-old Emanuel. Its been so tough. She has been staying out for two months. She heard about Trumps threats about possibly closing the border, and it worries her, not least of all, because shes close to having her name called. Im among the next numbers that will be called, so I wont lose my faith. Hopefully in the next week Ill get called, she said.]()
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