Trump’s tariff threat appears to be working as heavily-armed Mexican police and Marines confront and block a caravan of 1,200 migrants heading for the southern border from Central America
Talks between Mexican foreign minister, the U.S. vice president, and secretary of state ended with no deal
Mexican delegation is in Washington to lobby administration and Congress to remove threat of tariffs
Mexico dispatched a special unit of 200 agents to intercept 1,000 migrants headed for the United States
The caravan of migrants from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, departed from Ciudad Hidalgo at the Mexico border on Wednesday morning and walked along a highway toward Tapachula escorted by police
They were met some 11 miles short of their destination by the special unit forming a blockade on the road
The vast majority of the migrants complied with officials’ orders and boarded immigration agency vehicles
Others resisted and were wrested to the ground by unarmed officers or fled to the thick forest nearby
Parents sat on the pavement holding their children as the wept and begged authorities not to take them
The confrontation took place as temperatures in the region reached 91 degrees Fahrenheit (33 Celcius)
Several migrants fainted or collapsed from the heat and at least one man received medical attention
An immigration official at the site who was not authorized to speak publicly said the 600 to 800 migrants would initially be taken to an immigration detention center in Tapachula
By MEGAN SHEETS
DAILYMAIL.COM
6 June 2019
Despite efforts by security forces south of the border to stop a migrant caravan, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard says no agreement was reached on tariffs during Wednesday’s White House meeting with Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Ebrard says both countries will keep talking Thursday to find a way to stave off President Trump’s threatened tariffs on all Mexican goods flowing into the United States.
Trump, who is in Europe to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, tweeted: ‘Immigration discussions at the White House with representatives of Mexico have ended for the day. Progress is being made, but not nearly enough!
‘Border arrests for May are at 133,000 because of Mexico & the Democrats in Congress refusing to budge on immigration reform.
‘Further talks with Mexico will resume tomorrow with the understanding that, if no agreement is reached, Tariffs at the 5% level will begin on Monday, with monthly increases as per schedule.
The higher the Tariffs go, the higher the number of companies that will move back to the USA!’
Ebrard tells reporters at the Mexican embassy that ‘several points were made that require a more detailed discussion.’
He says the United States is proposing short-term, punitive measures, while Mexico wants more long-term decisions. He is not detailing the positions of either country.
Ebrard is the head of a Mexican delegation that has been lobbying intensely this week in Washington.
Top officials from the Mexican government, private sector and members of the country’s Congress make up the largest Mexican delegation dispatched to Washington since President Andrés Manuel López Obrador took office in December.
The multifaceted effort, which started just hours after Trump last week announced his intention to impose a 5% tariff on Mexico, aims to get a compromise that avoids such a duty before a Monday deadline.
The first critical moment came Wednesday, when Ebrard talked to Pompeo during a meeting presided over by Pence at the White House.
Trump himself was out of town for a state visit to Britain and D-Day commemorations, though he has fired Twitter shots from across the sea to repeat his vow to impose tariffs unless Mexico takes tougher action to halt migration across its territory to the United States.
‘As a sign of good faith, Mexico should immediately stop the flow of people and drugs through their country and to our Southern Border. They can do it if they want!’ he tweeted Monday.
The Rest…HERE
