On May 30, 2019, President Trump threatened to implement a 5% tariff, starting on June 1, on all Mexican imports if the country did not stop the increasing number of migrant persons crossing the U.S. and Mexican border. The White House also posted a statement that laid out the increase of tariffs if no solution arose between the two countries. The tariffs proposed could rise to 10% on July 1st, 15% on August 1st, 20% on September 1st, and 25% on October 1st. Furthermore, the tariffs would remain at the 25% level until the U.S. believes that Mexico had substantially stopped the flow of migrant persons coming through its territory.
Since this past Monday, June 3rd, U.S. and Mexican officials have been holding talks in an effort to prevent the tariffs from going into effect. As of Thursday, June 6, 2019, officials were discussing changes in asylum rules and border enforcement. The proposed plan would dramatically increase Mexico’s immigration enforcement efforts and give the United States a greater ability to reject requests for entry from migrant families, according to senior officials from both countries. Migrant persons would be required to seek asylum in the first foreign country they enter after leaving their home country. Additionally, Mexico would allow an expansion of a program in which those seeking asylum in the US would be required to wait in Mexico while their legal cases proceed. Earlier Friday, the Mexican government said in a statement that it plans to deploy 6,000 Mexican National Guard troops near its border with Guatemala to help stop the flow of Central American migrants seeking to enter the United States. President Donald Trump said in a tweet on Friday, June 7, 2019, that there is a high chance the two countries will reach a deal, and that Mexico may be able to avert tariffs on its goods by purchasing American agricultural products.