White House says no deal reached, U.S. moving forward with tariffs against Mexico
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said late Thursday afternoon that the U.S. is still moving forward with tariffs on Mexico, following a day of continued negotiations between high-ranking U.S. officials and their Mexican counterparts that failed to produce a deal.
Sanders, in a statement, said the US “position has not changed, and we are still moving forward with tariffs at this time.”
President Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs are set to go into effect Monday. The White House has indicated that the US intends impose a 5% tariff on all Mexican imported goods immediately if no agreement is reached by then, with the levy rising steadily each month to a cap of 25% by October if no deal is reached.
Trump is being regularly updated on the status of the discussions during his activities in Europe, and while there’s no agreement yet, officials say he is weighing in from Ireland.
One big factor the administration is looking at now is the timing. A senior administration official said they want the Mexican government to implement the proposed changes immediately.
A Mexican Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Twitter: “We continue exploring options to tend to the growing number of undocumented migrants that cross through Mexico. The US’ stance is focused on the measures of migration control, ours is in development. We have not reached an accord but continue negotiating.”