Immigrant Rights Advocates Denounce Trump’s Proposed Tariffs on Mexico

May 31st, 2019

New York, NY— Today, Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Mexico to pressure the country to ramp up its immigration enforcement to stop asylum seekers from Central America from entering the United States. The plan would go into effect on June 10, and is expected to negatively impact economic and political relations.

Steve Choi, Executive Director of the New York Immigration Coalition, released the following statement:

“Trump’s plan to impose tariffs on Mexico is tantamount to pointing the finger at and punishing our neighbor for a refugee crisis this administration engendered. The Trump administration has routinely neglected our legal and moral obligation to welcome refugees and asylum seekers, violating both international and domestic law. Rather than hurt our economy and geopolitical relationships through capricious implementation of tariffs, we need to immediately invest in resources to process asylum claims and dramatically expand humanitarian assistance at the Southern border.”