Acting DHS Sec. Can’t Explain How Trump’s Mexico Tariffs Will Prevent Border Crossings

Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan couldn’t explain on Sunday morning how President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on Mexico wouldn’t just push more people to cross the border due to poor economic conditions caused by said tariffs.

Trump threatened last week to impose a 5 percent tariff on Mexican goods on June 10 if Mexico didn’t stop the flow of border crossings into the US.

“These tariffs are designed to hurt Mexico economically,” CNN reporter Jake Tapper said to McAleenan. “Won’t they just exacerbate the problem? If things go bad economically in Mexico, won’t more people come in and cross the southern border illegally?”

“These crossings into Mexico are happening on a 150-mile stretch of their southern border,” McAleenan responded. “This is a controllable area. We need them to interdict these folks before they make this route all the way to the U.S.”

Tapper then pointed out again that the conditions caused by Trump’s tariffs would incentivize more border crossings and thus make McAleenan’s job harder, a point that McAleenan refused to address.

“Bottom line for me is we need them at the table looking at new strategies that we can aggressively move out on,” the acting DHS secretary said.

The New York Times reported on Saturday that Trump’s economic advisors, such as Jared Kushner and Steven Mnuchin, tried to push back against the President’s proposed tariffs, to no avail.

Watch McAleenan’s interview below:

Latest News
91
Show Comments

Notable Replies

  1. Avatar for outis outis says:

    So there are limits to what they will make up after all? I am amazed. Why not just say that the tariffs will encourage the Mexican government to break out their unicorns to drive the people who are trying to cross the border back to their homes?

  2. It’s hard to explain stupid.

  3. come on ! … this shit’s complicated —

  4. Avatar for tao tao says:

    Us make things worse so things get better. Uh huh. Boss say always work. Him smart as shit.

  5. While we’re still at it, has anyone from Team Trump explained why the China tariffs wouldn’t hurt farmers?

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

85 more replies

Participants

Avatar for paulw Avatar for austin_dave Avatar for mattinpa Avatar for clunkertruck Avatar for jdkahler Avatar for tigersharktoo Avatar for arrendis Avatar for borisjimbo Avatar for lastroth Avatar for midnight_rambler Avatar for leftcoaster Avatar for careysub Avatar for katwillow Avatar for benthere Avatar for tena Avatar for vangedo Avatar for jacksonhts Avatar for coimmigrant Avatar for kelaine Avatar for joce_m Avatar for agoldman Avatar for kenga Avatar for outis Avatar for ANNFFL

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: