MEXICO CITY (dpa-AFX) - After causing an uproar by threatening to impose increasingly stringent tariffs on all Mexican imports, President Donald Trump is celebrating an agreement he claims will help stop the flow of migrants through Mexico and into the U.S.
Trump revealed in a post on Twitter late Friday that the 5 percent tariff he threatened to impose on Mexican imports beginning on Monday has been 'indefinitely suspended.'
'I am pleased to inform you that The United States of America has reached a signed agreement with Mexico. The Tariffs scheduled to be implemented by the U.S. on Monday, against Mexico, are hereby indefinitely suspended,' Trump tweeted.
He added, 'Mexico, in turn, has agreed to take strong measures to stem the tide of Migration through Mexico, and to our Southern Border. This is being done to greatly reduce, or eliminate, Illegal Immigration coming from Mexico and into the United States.'
Details of the deal announced by the State Department indicated Mexico will take unprecedented steps to increase enforcement to curb irregular migration, including deploying 6,000 troops from its newly formed National Guard to its southern border.
Mexico is also taking decisive action to dismantle human smuggling and trafficking organizations as well as their illicit financial and transportation networks, the State Department said.
The agreement also includes an expansion of existing U.S. Migrant Protection Protocols, which means migrants crossing the U.S. border seeking asylum will be rapidly returned to Mexico to await the adjudication of their asylum claims.
In response, Mexico will authorize the entrance of those individuals for humanitarian reasons and offer jobs, healthcare and education according to its principles.
The State Department said the U.S. commits to work to accelerate the adjudication of asylum claims and to conclude removal proceedings as expeditiously as possible.
Additionally, the U.S. and Mexico have agreed to continue discussions on steps to address irregular migrant flows and asylum issues in the event the measures adopted do not have the expected results.
Trump claimed the reviews of the agreement have been 'very good' but also argued there has been 'false reporting' by 'Fake and Corrupt News Media,' such as NBC, CNN, the New York Times and the Washington Post.
Some analysts have questioned the impact of the steps being taken by Mexico, arguing Trump threatened to derail a key economic partnership for a deal that ultimately maintains the status quo.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was highly critical of the deal's expansion of the Trump administration's 'failed Remain-in-Mexico policy,' which she claims 'violates the rights of asylum seekers under U.S. law and fails to address the root causes of Central American migration.'
'President Trump must stop sabotaging good-faith, constructive, and bipartisan efforts in Congress to address this complex problem in a humane manner that honors and respects our most cherished national values,' Pelosi said in a statement.
'The Trump Administration must also do much more to cooperate in a meaningful way with Mexico in cracking down on smuggling networks. It's failure to do so thus far is unconscionable and irresponsible,' she added. 'Threats and temper tantrums are no way to negotiate foreign policy.'
Last week, Trump threatened to impose a 5 percent tariff on all Mexican imports until all illegal migrants passing through Mexico and into the U.S. are stopped.
Trump warned the tariffs would be gradually increased if the crisis persists, rising to 10 percent on July 1st and eventually reaching as high as 25 percent by October 1st.
(Photo: Marc Nozell)
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