WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump threatened Thursday to immediately double tariffs on Mexican goods unless Mexico stops migrant caravans traveling north, opening a new trade confrontation with the United States’ largest trading partner.
Trump did not identify which tariffs he meant, specify the new rates or announce an effective date. No formal order implementing higher duties had been confirmed as of Thursday morning.
The warning followed reports that an estimated 1,500 migrants, mostly from Central America, left the southern Mexican city of Tapachula near the Guatemalan border on Tuesday. Trump said in a social-media post that the group would not be allowed into the United States and that Mexican officials, federal immigration agencies and Texas officials had been informed.
Mexico says the caravans are far from the U.S. border
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum responded without directly escalating the dispute. She said no migrant caravan has reached Mexico’s northern border since Trump began his second term in January 2025, according to Associated Press reporting.
Sheinbaum said Mexican authorities were currently dealing with two groups in the country’s south. One caravan that had numbered about 600 people had fallen to fewer than 100 after migrants were informed that reaching and entering the United States would be extremely difficult, she said. Authorities were also talking with another group, largely made up of Honduran migrants, about returning home.
Sheinbaum rejected the idea of violently dispersing the groups or militarizing the response. She said Mexico would continue accompanying migrants, explaining their options and offering paths to return to their countries or remain in Mexico under certain conditions.
A threat, not a tariff increase—yet
Reuters reported that Trump demanded Mexico stop the northbound migrants and warned there would be “no leniency.” The president did not say which Mexican exports would be affected or what legal mechanism the administration would use.
That distinction matters for businesses and consumers. A presidential statement can move currencies and markets, but import duties do not change until the government formally identifies the products, rates and start date. Mexico’s peso weakened after the threat, according to market reporting, while companies waited for clarification.
Mexico already faces U.S. tariffs on several important categories, including automobiles, steel, aluminum, copper and products that do not meet regional trade-agreement requirements. Doubling any of those duties could raise costs for manufacturers with supply chains crossing the border and potentially increase prices for U.S. buyers.
Trade talks were already tense
The tariff warning arrives while Washington and Mexico City are negotiating their broader trade relationship. Trump declined in July to extend the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement and has described the pact, which he negotiated during his first term, as unnecessary.
Trump has repeatedly used tariff threats to seek concessions on migration, drug trafficking and trade. Some threatened duties have taken effect, while others have been delayed or withdrawn after negotiations. It remains unclear whether Thursday’s statement will lead to a formal tariff order or a new bilateral agreement.
Political stakes after the midterms
The dispute follows Democratic victories in the U.S. midterm elections and comes as Trump recalibrates his immigration message. He recently acknowledged voter backlash against aggressive deportation operations, said enforcement had sometimes been “too tough” and suggested he could negotiate an immigration agreement with the incoming Democratic-controlled Congress.
Thursday’s tariff threat, however, signals that the administration still intends to use economic pressure as a central part of its border policy.
What to watch next
- Whether the White House issues a formal tariff order identifying rates and covered products.
- Whether Mexico disperses, redirects or assists the two migrant groups in the south.
- Any effect on the peso, cross-border manufacturing and consumer prices.
- Whether the dispute changes ongoing U.S.-Mexico trade negotiations.
This is a developing story. Meeko News will update it if the tariff threat becomes a formal policy.
