Mexico on Monday said that it would reject a US idea to take in all Central American asylum seekers if it is raised at talks this week with the administration of US President Donald Trump, which has threatened to impose tariffs if Mexico does not crack down on illegal immigration.
Trump last week said that he will impose a blanket tariff on Mexican imports from Monday next week to try to pressure Mexico to tackle large flows of mostly Central American migrants passing through en route to the US.
The threat roiled global markets, which are already suffering from a trade dispute between the US and China.
Mexican Minister of Foreign Affairs Marcelo Ebrard said the country is committed to continuing to work to keep illegal immigrants from Central America from reaching the US border.
However, he said a more radical proposal favored by some US officials to designate Mexico a “safe third country,” which would force Central Americans seeking asylum in the US to instead apply for it in Mexico, is not an option.
“An agreement about a safe third country would not be acceptable for Mexico,” Ebrard told reporters in Washington. “They have not yet proposed it to me, but it would not be acceptable and they know it.”
Ebrard is to meet US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during the talks, which would also involve other senior officials.
The negotiations in Washington would be closely watched by financial markets concerned that import tariffs would ultimately hit the US economy by adding to the cost of a wide range of goods in the US, from Mexican-made vehicles and auto parts to televisions, beer and food.
US-based Mexican-themed fast food chain Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc estimated a US$15 million hit from the proposed tariffs and said it could cover that by raising its burrito prices by about US$0.05.
US business groups have opposed the tariff plan and the influential US Chamber of Commerce is looking at ways to challenge it, including legal options.
In a possible sign of US priorities in the talks, which are due to run through at least today, US Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan on Sunday said that Mexico should deploy more personnel to stop illegal immigrants along a remote, jungly stretch of border with Guatemala.
McAleenan also said Mexico should bolster its own immigration screenings along that border, crack down on criminal networks transporting migrants and enable more migrants to wait in Mexico while they apply for asylum in the US.
Since January, the government of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has ramped up detentions and deportations, but that has not been enough to stop the growing tide of families reaching the US, mainly from Guatemala and Honduras.
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