After threatening Mexico with exorbitant tariffs on imported goods, President Donald Trump announced Friday night that the U.S. signed an agreement with Mexico to reduce the flow of migrants coming across the U.S.-Mexico border.
However, Mexico and the United States had reached the terms of the agreement months before Trump threatened tariffs, the New York Times reported, citing officials from both countries who are familiar with the negotiations. In March, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen held secret negotiations with the Mexican government in Miami, where Mexico agreed to “take unprecedented steps to increase enforcement to curb irregular migration,” including deploying its national guard. Mexico also agreed to expand a Trump administration Migrant Protection Protocols program known as “Remain-in-Mexico,” where migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. wait in Mexico for their asylum decision.
But Trump announced the agreement in a tweet shortly after returning from his trip to Europe on Friday night, making it appear that the negotiations were taking place this past week. The fact that Mexico agreed to these terms months ago, makes the president’s tariff threats appear even more strange.
….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 agreement will be released shortly by the State Department. Thank you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 8, 2019
Trump’s tweet was followed by a statement from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who said: “We would like to thank Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard for his hard work to negotiate a set of joint obligations that benefit both the United States and Mexico. The United States looks forward to working alongside Mexico to fulfill these commitments so that we can stem the tide of illegal migration across our southern border and to make our border strong and secure.”
American business owners had warned the Trump Administration that the tariffs would increase the cost of goods for American consumers for items like avocados and refrigerators that come from Mexico. But the president, who doesn’t seem to understand how tariffs actually work, continued with his threats.
The president continued tweeting about the deal Saturday morning, claiming that Mexico would also buy “large quantities of agricultural product” from the United States. But the deal does not mention agriculture—or any kind of trade between the U.S. and Mexico—at all.
MEXICO HAS AGREED TO IMMEDIATELY BEGIN BUYING LARGE QUANTITIES OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCT FROM OUR GREAT PATRIOT FARMERS!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 8, 2019
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also tweeted about the deal on Friday, mockingly calling it a “historic night” and saying, “Now that that problem is solved, I’m sure we won’t be hearing any more about it in the future.”
This is an historic night!@realDonaldTrump has announced that he has cut a deal to “greatly reduce, or eliminate, Illegal Immigration coming from Mexico and into the United States.”
Now that that problem is solved, I’m sure we won’t be hearing any more about it in the future. https://t.co/DNNfbevkGP
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) June 8, 2019
Notably missing from the deal was the president’s beloved wall, which during the campaign, Trump promised Mexico would pay for.
This story has been updated.
