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US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting of the White House Opportunity and Revitalisation Council in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Thursday. Photo: AP

Donald Trump retreats from vow to close Mexico border this week, but instead gives ‘one-year warning’ and threatens tariffs

  • Advisers and business leaders had warned that shutting the US-Mexico border could be economically devastating to both countries

US President Donald Trump on Thursday backed down from his threat to close the southern border immediately, telling reporters at the White House that he is giving Mexico a “one-year warning” before taking action.

Trump had said he would close the border, or at least large sections of it, this week if Mexico does not halt illegal immigration into the United States.

But in Thursday’s exchange with reporters, Trump shifted gears, saying that if Mexico does not make progress on stemming the flow of drugs and migrants into the United States within the next year, he will impose tariffs on cars and close the border.

“We’re going to give them a one-year warning, and if the drugs don’t stop or largely stop, we’re going to put tariffs on Mexico and products, particularly cars … And if that doesn’t stop the drugs, we close the border,” Trump said.

Trump’s remarks were a marked change from his message on Wednesday, when he threatened to close the border unless Congress “immediately” addresses “loopholes” in US immigration law.

The apparent turnaround comes amid mounting warnings from advisers and business leaders that closing the 2,000-mile (3,200km) border with Mexico, the United States’s third-largest trading partner, could be economically devastating to both countries.

Members of Trump’s own party had cautioned him as well.

“Closing down the border would have potentially catastrophic economic impact on our country, and I would hope we would not be doing that,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday.

Cargo trucks line up next to the border fence to cross to the United States near the US-Mexico border at Otay Mesa crossing port in Tijuana, Mexico, on Thursday. Photo: AFP

Trump is scheduled to visit the US-Mexico border on Friday.

Democrats are continuing to explore ways to undo Trump’s border emergency declaration, which he intends to use to shift tens of billions of dollars from other congressionally funded projects to build his border wall.

Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement Thursday that Trump was “stealing from appropriated funds”.

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