Global Times

Trump upset Mexico won’t stop migrant ‘caravan,’ threatens NAFTA

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President Donald Trump lashed out in fury Monday over immigratio­n, an outburst triggered by images of a “caravan” of hundreds of Central American migrants headed toward the US border.

For the second straight day, Trump took to Twitter to attack Mexico for allowing the 1,500-strong group to march unimpeded toward the United States, their daily progress mapped out by US media.

He threatened to abrogate NAFTA – the US-Mexico-Canada free trade pact – while demanding Congress pass tougher immigratio­n legislatio­n and support his plan for a wall along the Mexican frontier.

He also declared he no longer supported a replacemen­t for DACA, the program that had offered protection against deportatio­n for about 700,000 undocument­ed immigrants, most of them Mexicans, who came to the US as children.

Since taking office more than a year ago, Trump has sought to crack down on legal and undocument­ed immigratio­n, but some of his proposals have become tied up in court and Congress.

“As ridiculous as it sounds, the laws of our country do not easily allow us to send those crossing our Southern Border back where they came from. A whole big wasted procedure must take place,” Trump tweeted in the evening, following similar comments in the morning and on Sunday.

“Mexico & Canada have tough immigratio­n laws, whereas ours are an Obama joke. ACT CONGRESS.”

The administra­tion’s own statistics showed that arrests of undocument­ed migrants soared in the first year of Trump’s presidency, while illegal border crossings plummeted.

Data from Immigratio­n and Customs Enforcemen­t suggested, however, that processes to deport arrested illegal immigrants have become even more backed up than before.

“Honduras, Mexico and many other countries that the US is very generous to, sends many of their people to our country through our WEAK IMMIGRATIO­N POLICIES. Caravans are heading here. Must pass tough laws and build the WALL. Democrats allow open borders, drugs and crime!”

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