Trump: Mexico Is ‘Abuser’ of the US; ‘America Has Had Enough!’

President Donald Trump talks to reporters while departing the White House May 24, 2019 in Washington. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

President Donald Trump on June 2 described Mexico as an “abuser” of the United States and offered an ultimatum: either stop the “invasion” along the southern border or U.S. companies will be “brought back” through new tariffs imposed on Mexican goods.

Trump made the comments in a string of early morning posts on Twitter following his announcement on May 30 that he is imposing a 5 percent tariff on Mexico, which would increase until Mexico starts taking action on the border crisis. Most of the illegal aliens coming across the border are coming through Mexico from Central America.

In Trump’s latest remarks, he outlined how Mexico hasn’t been treating the United States fairly, describing a turbulent relationship between the two countries. He ended one of his posts with “America has had enough!”

“People have been saying for years that we should talk to Mexico. The problem is that Mexico is an “abuser” of the United States, taking but never giving. It has been this way for decades,” he wrote.

“Either they stop the invasion of our Country by Drug Dealers, Cartels, Human Traffickers... Coyotes and Illegal Immigrants, which they can do very easily, or our many companies and jobs that have been foolishly allowed to move South of the Border, will be brought back into the United States through taxation (Tariffs).”

The new tariffs, Trump said previously, would go into effect June 10 and would increase until the “illegal immigration problem is remedied.” Border Patrol officials had apprehended more than 500,000 illegal aliens on the southern border as of May 10.

The announcement comes after the president declared a national emergency on Feb. 15 to address the humanitarian crisis and to secure funds for border-wall construction.

Mexico’s Response

Mexico’s President Andres Manuel López Obrador hinted on June 1 that his country could tighten migration controls in a bid to avoid Trump’s newly imposed tariffs.

Lopez Obrador said at a news conference that Mexico wants to reach a deal with the United States. A major Mexican delegation, led by Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, will discuss the dispute with U.S. officials in Washington on June 5. Mexico’s president said he expected “good results” from the talks, and for a deal to emerge.

“The main thing is to inform about what we’re already doing on the migration issue, and if it’s necessary to reinforce these measures without violating human rights, we could be prepared to reach that deal,” Lopez Obrador said.

His comments follow those of his deputy foreign minister for North America, Jesus Seade, who told Reuters on May 31 that Mexico wanted to sharpen existing measures to curb the flow of Central Americans through that country to reach U.S. soil.

Mexico’s economy, which relies heavily on exports to the United States, shrank in the first quarter. Under Trump’s plan, U.S. tariffs on Mexican goods could rise to as high as 25 percent this year.

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro told CNBC in an interview on May 31 that the president’s move was not a “tariff war,” but simply a measure to get Mexico “to do what it should be doing.”

Lopez Obrador also said Mexico wouldn’t attempt a trade war with the United States.

Reuters contributed to this report.