Washington will impose a five per cent tariff on all goods from Mexico starting June 10, a measure that will last until “illegal migrants” stop coming through the country into the US, President Donald Trump said Thursday.
“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,” Trump tweeted.
“The Tariff will gradually increase until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied, at which time the Tariffs will be removed,” he wrote.
Trump’s announcement came a day after border agents in El Paso, Texas detained the largest single group of migrants ever encountered by Border Patrol Agents — 1,036 people.
The group crossed the Rio Grande River from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico in the early morning hours of Wednesday, illustrating the mounting problem that Trump’s administration has been unable to get under control.