President Donald Trump said that he would double all current US tariffs on Mexico if America’s neighboring country to the south allowed a caravan of more than 1,000 migrants to reach the border. According to Reuters, an estimated 1,500 migrants, primarily from Central America, set off on Tuesday from Tapachula, a southern city near the Guatemalan border. Some participants said they were motivated by hopes for a more lenient US immigration policy after Democrats’ recent victories in Washington.
“Here we go again!” Trump said in a lengthy post on Truth Social. “With the perceived loss by the Republicans in the Midterms – I WAS NOT ON THE BALLOT- the INVASION of our Country is taking place again. Huge CARAVANS are forming and beginning their illegal march through Mexico. Many of the people in these Caravans are those that various countries don’t want – “Send them to America,” they say – But they will not be accepted!
“MEXICO MUST STOP THEM, NOW, and if they do not do so, the Tariffs on Mexico will be IMMEDIATELY DOUBLED,” the president continued. “MEXICO, THE GOVERNOR OF TEXAS, THE VERY LIBERAL NEW GOVERNOR OF TEXAS, OUR GREAT BORDER PATROL, & ICE, HAVE BEEN SO INFORMED. There will be no leniency!”
Trump is willing to negotiate an immigration deal with Democrats
It was not clear from Trump’s post whether any of those existing rates would be targeted for an increase. Meanwhile, the New York Post reports that this caravan is the third since September to attempt crossing Mexico. Authorities dispersed the previous two, granting temporary stay permits to their members, according to the report.
Illegal crossings at the US-Mexico border stopped by US agents in the 12 months to the end of September hit their lowest level since 1968, according to US data, following Trump’s tough policies. The US Department of Homeland Security reported almost 98,700 apprehensions in its 2026 fiscal year, down from more than 2 million in 2022 and 2023 under then-President Joe Biden.
Trump’s warning about migrants coincided with his acknowledgment of political backlash over his administration’s deportation efforts led by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In an interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes on Sunday, Trump admitted that the deportation force had been “too tough” and expressed openness to negotiating an immigration deal with Democrats after they assume control of Congress in January.
The US, Mexico, and Canada began talks over the summer to revise a free trade agreement negotiated during Trump’s first term, according to the Associated Press. The White House has imposed 25% national security tariffs on Mexican-made autos and 50% rates on steel and aluminum products from south of the border, duties also applied to Canada.
Published: Nov 12, 2026 03:45 pm