Trump Threatens to Double Mexico Tariffs Over Migrant Caravan
Trump says tariffs on Mexico will double if it does not stop migrant caravans. The peso fell; the legal basis and a deadline remain unclear.
President Donald Trump said in a social media post that tariffs on Mexican goods will double “immediately” unless Mexico stops migrant caravans heading toward the United States, according to El Financiero. The Mexican peso fell to its lowest levels of the trading session after the post, the outlet reported.
The statement is a threat, not an announced measure. Expansión Política noted that tariffs have not actually been doubled so far.
What Trump said and what he left out
Trump wrote that Mexico must stop the caravans now. He also said the Border Patrol and ICE (the U.S. immigration and customs enforcement agency) had been informed, and that there would be no leniency for people trying to enter the United States.
He did not say which Mexican products would be hit or when a higher rate would start, according to Expansión Política. El Financiero added that he gave Mexico no deadline.
It was also not immediately clear whether Trump has the legal authority to double the duties. El Financiero said the Supreme Court limited his tariff powers earlier this year. Mexico’s Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores (Foreign Ministry) and Secretaría de Economía (Economy Ministry) did not respond right away to requests for comment.
The caravan in Chiapas
Expansión Política reported that a caravan has been moving north from Tapachula, Chiapas, since Tuesday, Nov. 10. A state government source estimated the group at more than a thousand people, mostly Central Americans. They want to reach Mexico City to ask federal authorities for support and look for ways to continue their journey.
Reports differ on the scale. El Financiero described a small group of migrants and said Trump claimed “enormous caravans” were forming.
Tapachula sits on the border with Guatemala. Expansión Política said migration restrictions and deportations have left thousands of people stranded there, where they struggle to find work, medical care and schooling for their children.
Trade talks were already strained
The U.S. administration is negotiating with Mexico after Trump declined to extend the North American trade agreement, known in Mexico as the T-MEC (called the USMCA in the United States), according to El Financiero. Trump negotiated the pact in his first term and has recently called it unnecessary.
Sources familiar with the talks told the outlet that the two countries seemed to be moving toward a deal, but progress stalled over steel and aluminum tariffs. Those people said talks cooled after Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick tried to take control of the negotiations and questioned Mexican officials’ demands in October to lower the metals duties. They asked not to be identified because the discussions are private.
El Financiero noted that Trump has often threatened trading partners with tariffs to win concessions, carrying out some threats and delaying others.
What it means for people in Mexico
The immediate effect is on the currency. The peso’s drop after the post is the first measurable reaction, and the lack of detail on products and timing leaves the size of any future tariff impact unknown. Exporters, importers and anyone who receives money or pays bills tied to the dollar are watching a market that moved on a single post.
For migrants, the threat adds pressure on Mexican authorities to act on the caravan as it travels toward the capital. Expansión Política reported that the group’s goal is Mexico City, so the issue could reach the city if the caravan arrives.
The timing also matters politically in the United States. El Financiero reported that the post came after midterm elections in which Republicans lost control of both chambers of Congress. Trump had often cited lower border crossings when speaking to voters before the vote, and he named Stephen Miller, the architect of his aggressive anti-immigration policies, as chief of staff.
Expansión Política also noted that on Nov. 8 Trump acknowledged that measures his government used to deport migrants may have been excessive.
Sources: Expansión Política, El Financiero
