U.S., Mexico in talks ahead of tariff deadline

The White House could issue a national emergency declaration to impose tariffs on Mexican goods as early as Friday if negotiators from the two countries fail to reach a deal on border security. Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said his government suggested sending 6,000 national guard troops to the Mexican-Guatemalan border to cut down on illegal migration. Mexican officials have also asked the United States to delay the tariffs for the time being. Ebrard said Mexican and U.S. officials will meet Friday for “one of the last sessions in order to make an effort to have an agreement.”

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said his administration is taking other steps to crack down on migration, including blocking the bank accounts of 26 people with alleged links to human trafficking and detaining at least 350 migrants crossing into Mexico on Wednesday, Reuters reported.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence told reporters in Pennsylvania he’s “encouraged they came today with more, but it will be a matter for the president to consider.” Without a deal, the tariffs would gradually reach 25 percent by October.

Meanwhile, some lawmakers on Capitol Hill have expressed disapproval of the proposed tariffs, saying costs will rebound on American consumers. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., has said he would introduce a resolution to halt an emergency order from going into effect.

In a Fox News interview Thursday, President Donald Trump said Republicans in particular should be ashamed for disagreeing with the tariffs, which would take effect Monday if implemented. “What they’re doing is they’re hurting a deal,” Trump said. “They should be saying, we’re with the president, we’ll do whatever he wants to do, and Mexico would fold like an umbrella.”