Trump suggests tariffs against nations including China over illegal immigration
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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he may impose tariffs on countries, including China, that do not curb the flow of undocumented immigrants from their territory to the US.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON – Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on June 6 he may impose tariffs on countries, including China, that do not curb the flow of undocumented immigrants from their territory to the United States, if he wins the US election in November.
Trump made the remarks at an event in the border election battleground state of Arizona while responding to an audience question and did not specify the size of tariff he would impose in such a scenario.
Asked about ways he would curb the flow of migrants crossing into the US illegally, Trump said: “We have tremendous economic power.”
Trump said if a country, such as China, does not help to curb the flow of immigrants in to the US, “we have these things called tariffs”.
Trump warned if other countries do not help to reduce it, then he could “tariff the hell out of that country” if re-elected.
Border security and immigration have emerged as top issues for Americans in the run-up to the Nov 5 election, where Trump will face US President Joe Biden, a Democrat, in a rematch of the 2020 White House contest.
The majority of people crossing into the US illegally are from Latin America.
According to US government data, the US Border Patrol arrested more than 27,000 Chinese migrants caught illegally crossing the border with Mexico from Oct 1, 2023 to April 30, 2024, part of a sharp increase in Chinese arrivals.
It was Trump’s first campaign event since a Manhattan jury on May 30 found him guilty on all 34 counts
Trump has denied any wrongdoing and vowed to appeal the verdict.
On June 6, he called the trial “rigged”.
Trump lambasted Mr Biden’s latest effort to crack down on people crossing America’s southern border illegally, an asylum ban similar to restrictions Trump tried to implement when he was president.
Mr Biden took executive action on June 4 that instituted a broad asylum ban on migrants
Trump claimed Mr Biden’s new plan was “outrageous” and a concession of “death and defeat” at the border, even though the Biden measure mirrored Trump-era policies to deter would-be migrants.
Mr Biden has toughened his approach to border security as immigration has emerged as a major political problem for him.
Trump made a hardline stance on immigration a centerpiece of his administration and has vowed a wide-ranging crackdown if reelected.
Under Mr Biden’s order, migrants caught crossing illegally could be quickly deported or turned back to Mexico under the measure, which took effect on June 5.
There are exceptions for unaccompanied children, people who face serious medical or safety threats and victims of trafficking, the US Department of Homeland Security said.
Trump called Mr Biden’s measure “bullshit”, eliciting a chant of “bullshit” from his friendly audience in Phoenix. Trump said he would rescind Mr Biden’s measure on his first day in office if reelected.
Trump claimed without evidence that Mr Biden’s asylum ban would allow a minimum of 2 million “illegal alien border crossers” into the US each year.
Asked how Trump reached that figure, Mr Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond.
US Border Patrol arrested some 2 million migrants crossing illegally in the fiscal year ending Sept 30, 2023, and the country has seen similar figures in 2024.
But Mr Biden’s latest move aims to reduce attempted crossings, not maintain current levels.
Trump also said he could move US troops stationed abroad back home to patrol the southern border.
Mr Biden has pushed unsuccessfully for months to pass a Senate Bill crafted by a bipartisan group that would toughen border security, but Republicans rejected it after Trump opposed it.
Mr Kevin Munoz, a Mr Biden campaign spokesman, said in a statement: “Donald Trump blocked the toughest, fairest bipartisan border legislation in a generation. He did it because he thinks it will help him politically”.
Mr Munoz added Trump’s role in killing the Bill allows him to claim the immigration system is “broken”.
Several people were seen being taken out on stretchers from Trump’s event due to heat exhaustion after lining up for hours in temperatures approaching 110 deg F (43 deg C). REUTERS
