President Trump tweeted angrily Sunday morning, warning Mexican officials that they will see major consequences if they continue to aid the flow of illegal immigrants, drugs and weapons across the United States southern border.
The tweet comes amid reports that Mexico is aiding and abetting a “Holy Week” influx of immigrants from Honduras, who are crossing the country in an “Easter caravan” to beg for refuge in the United States. The “migrants” say that they are not refugees, but “workers” looking for some employment — and if they can’t find it in Mexico, they’ll continue on until they’re in Texas, Arizona, and California.
Videos of the Easter caravan have popped up on social media.
Mexican authorities have, according to The Washington Times, “allowed the migrants to drive north ‘with relative ease,'” abandoning their own immigration efforts to allow the Hondurans to continue on to the U.S. border. Allegedly, locals have also provided the caravan with supplies and shelter along the way.
Clearly angered by these reports, President Trump posted an acerbic warning on social media Sunday, accusing Mexico of abrogating its duty to prosecute criminal behavior within its own borders. He suggested that if Mexican authorities do not improve their interdiction efforts, that he will punish them not just with a wall but with trade restrictions.
Mexico is doing very little, if not NOTHING, at stopping people from flowing into Mexico through their Southern Border, and then into the U.S. They laugh at our dumb immigration laws. They must stop the big drug and people flows, or I will stop their cash cow, NAFTA. NEED WALL!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 1, 2018
The Trump Administration has already made clear that it holds the power to trigger a six month “renegotiation” period on NAFTA, which would force Canada and Mexico to the bargaining table. Such efforts with other countries, like China, have proved successful at improving the United States’ trade position, but Mexico says it will not renegotiate NAFTA if the president triggers the six month warning.
The president also claimed Sunday that the massive influx of immigrants are trying to take advantage of the the DACA program, which remains in effect.
These big flows of people are all trying to take advantage of DACA. They want in on the act!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 1, 2018
Efforts to end or reform DACA have stalled, but a federal judge has declared that DACA can still accept applicants until its official expiration date.
The Easter caravan plans on reaching the U.S. southern border on Sunday and its participants will demand asylum. If they do not receive it, they will return to Mexico to demand material assistance as well as “better compliance with international and national laws, faster processing of asylum applications, and an increase in acceptance rates.”