Trump Warns Mexico to Halt the Migrant Caravans 'Now' or See Tariffs Doubled Immediately

President Trump on Thursday ordered Mexico to stop the migrant caravans moving north through its territory, warning that the tariffs on Mexican goods will be doubled immediately if it does not ^[1][2].

"Huge CARAVANS are forming and beginning their illegal march through Mexico," the President wrote in a Truth Social post Thursday morning, Fox News reported ^[1]. He said the people in the caravans were not wanted by other countries and would not be accepted, and he made the demand plain: "MEXICO MUST STOP THEM, NOW," according to Reuters ^[1][2]. He added there would be no leniency ^[1].

What the Threat Covers

The New York Post reported that the President vowed to double all current U.S. tariffs on Mexico if the country allows a caravan of more than 1,000 migrants to reach the border ^[3]. The post itself did not name a rate, a legal authority or a deadline beyond "immediately" ^[1][2].

Mr. Trump linked the new movement directly to the midterm elections. He wrote that the caravans followed what he called the perceived loss by Republicans, noted that he was not on the ballot, and said that Mexico, the outgoing and incoming governors of Texas, the Border Patrol and ICE had all been informed ^[1]. Reuters noted that the warning came days after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress ^[2].

The Caravan

The Washington Examiner reported that crowds of mostly Central American migrants have been moving through Mexico in recent weeks ^[4]. Reuters described the latest caravan as more than a thousand people, later estimated at about 1,500, and said it set out Tuesday from Tapachula, near Mexico's southern border ^[2]. Many of its members told reporters they hope the new Democratic majorities will open legal pathways into the United States ^[2].

The White House's border czar, Tom Homan, said on Fox News on Wednesday that the caravans are a product of what he called the Biden effect, and that caravan members will be turned around or prosecuted rather than released ^[5]. He urged Mexico to send troops to its borders, as it did during the President's first term, when Mexico deployed 6,000 National Guard troops under a 2019 agreement that headed off threatened tariffs ^[5].

What Happens Next

No public response from the Mexican government had been reported in the first hours after the post. Whether Mexico City moves to stop the column in the southern state of Chiapas will likely decide whether the President follows through.

For now, the message from the White House is the same one Homan delivered Wednesday: the border is closed, and a change in Congress does not change that. We are tracking this story and will update it as Mexico and the administration respond. A fuller look at the caravan, the tariffs in force and what is at stake for trade with Mexico will publish later this morning.

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