US President Donald Trump has threatened to double tariffs on Mexico if it fails to stop more than 1,000 migrants travelling north towards the United States, warning that they would not be allowed to enter the country.
Trump issued the warning on Thursday in a social media post, demanding that Mexican authorities halt the movement of migrants or face an immediate increase in tariffs.
“Here we go again!” Trump wrote. “They will not be accepted! MEXICO MUST STOP THEM, NOW, and if they do not do so, the Tariffs on Mexico will be IMMEDIATELY DOUBLED.”
He added that Mexico, the newly elected governor of Texas, the US Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had been informed of the directive, insisting that there would be no leniency.
An estimated 1,500 migrants, mostly from Central America, departed the southern Mexican city of Tapachula, near the Guatemalan border, on Tuesday.
The group is hoping that the Democrats’ victory in last week’s US midterm elections, which gives the party control of Congress from January, could create opportunities for them to live and work in the United States.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum acknowledged that a group of migrants was heading north but said no migrant caravans had reached the US border since Trump returned to office last year.
She said the migrants had been informed about the difficulties of entering the United States and that Mexico was exploring ways to return them to their countries of origin.
“There will be no acts of repression,” Sheinbaum said.
Local media reported that authorities in Mexico’s southern state of Chiapas had turned back some migrants attempting to join the group this week.
US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin also responded to Trump’s warning, saying the administration would use all available resources to secure the country’s borders.
“This illegal migrant caravan will NOT be allowed to enter our country. Full stop,” Mullin wrote on social media.
The tariff threat comes as the United States and Mexico negotiate a trade agreement after Trump declined in July to extend the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
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Trump’s immigration crackdown has significantly reduced migrant movements towards the US southern border, leaving several migrant shelters in Mexico largely empty.
Border security was a major issue in Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, with concerns over migration contributing to his return to the White House.
Following the November 3 midterm elections, Trump said he expected Texas’ newly elected Democratic governor, Gina Hinojosa, to prioritise border security.
However, Trump has also acknowledged political criticism of his administration’s deportation programme, which is being implemented by ICE.
In an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes on Sunday, Trump described the deportation operation as “too tough” and said he was open to reaching an immigration agreement with Democrats when they assume control of Congress in January.
