Trump, other leaders mark D-Day's 75th anniversary in Normandy, France - Fox News

President Trump planned to join other world leaders in Europe on Thursday to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, a monumental event that was largely responsible for shaping the outcome of World War II.

The ceremony was to take place on the edge of Omaha Beach in Normandy where thousands of American and Allied soldiers lost their lives.

Trump, continuing the tradition of his predecessors, will stand alongside leaders from Britain, Canada, France, and even Germany to pay homage to the troops who stormed the fortified Normandy to help turn the tide of the war.

D-DAY VETERAN, 99, GETS OVATION FROM THE QUEEN AND TRUMP AS HE LEADS TRIBUTES

Udo Hartung from Frankfurt, Germany, a World War II reenactor, holds the U.S. flag as he stands at dawn on Omaha Beach, in Normandy, France on Thursday. (Associated Press)

In a Twitter message early Thursday, the president seemed to be looking forward to the day's events.

"Heading over to Normandy to celebrate some of the bravest that ever lived. We are eternally grateful!" the president wrote.

The message included a Defense Department video featuring remembrances of some veterans who participated in the D-Day invasion.

Earlier, the president tweeted an excerpt from his D-Day remarks.

"They did not know if they would survive the hour," the president wrote. "They did not know if they would grow old. But they knew that America had to prevail. Their cause was this Nation, and generations yet unborn."

Remembrances will continue to take place throughout the day. Trump will deliver a speech later Thursday at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, where more than 9,000 American military dead are buried.

On Wednesday, Trump joined British Prime Minister Theresa May and about 300 veterans – ages 91 to 101 – on the southern coast of England where he read a prayer delivered by President Franklin Roosevelt on D-Day.

floral tributes are placed at the National Guard Monument Memorial as members of the USAREUR band play in the background near Omaha Beach, in Normandy, France, on Thursday. (Associated Press)

D-Day was the largest invasion – by both air and sea – in history. On June 6, 1944, 160,000 Allied troops carried by 7,000 boats landed on the beaches code-named Omaha, Utah, Juno, Sword, and Gold.

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When the day was over, 4,414 Allied troops – including 2,501 Americans – were killed, and 5,000 were injured. That summer, Allied troops would advance their fight, take Paris, and race against the Soviets to control as much German territory as possible by the time Hitler committed suicide in a Berlin Bunker in May 1945.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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2019-06-06 07:53:42Z
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D-Day: May and Macron in France to mark 75th anniversary - BBC News

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron have joined D-Day veterans in northern France for a second day of events to mark the 75th anniversary of the Normandy invasion.

A lone piper played to mark the moment when the first UK soldiers went ashore.

At an inauguration ceremony, Mrs May told veterans "thank you", while Mr Macron said we owe them "our freedom".

Later, US President Donald Trump will accompany Mr Macron at the US War Cemetery at Omaha Beach.

Hundreds of veterans have gathered in Normandy for the anniversary of the largest combined land, air and naval operation in history.

Mr Macron and Mrs May - in one of her final engagements as Conservative leader - were in Ver-sur-Mer to see the first stone laid for a memorial to commemorate the 22,442 British troops who died there in the summer of 1944.

Mrs May told the ceremony that she was humbled to be able to mark the moment with veterans, who belonged to a "very special generation".

"A generation whose unconquerable spirit shaped the post-war world. They didn't boast. They didn't fuss. They served," she said.

"And they laid down their lives so that we might have a better life and build a better world.

"If one day can be said to have determined the fate of generations to come in France, in Britain, in Europe and the world, that day was June 6, 1944," she added.

Also paying tribute, Mr Macron said: "This is where young men, many of whom had never set foot on French soil, landed at dawn under German fire, risking their lives while fighting their way up the beach, which was littered with obstacles and mines."

The French president went on to say he was proud to have worked with Mrs May.

"Leaders may come and go but their achievements remain. The force of our friendship will outlast current events," he said.

Following the inauguration ceremony, a service is being held at the cathedral in Bayeux, the first city to be liberated by the invasion.

Mrs May, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon are among those attending the service, which will be followed by a ceremony at Bayeux War Cemetery, where many of the fallen were buried.

The day's commemorations mark key events in the operation, which was aimed at bringing an end to World War Two.

By night-time on 6 June 1944, about 156,000 Allied troops had landed on Normandy's beaches, despite challenging weather and fierce German defences. Some had drowned when they were accidentally dropped off too soon in deep waters.

By the end of D-Day, the Allies had established a foothold in France and within 11 months Nazi Germany was defeated and the war was over.

Media playback is unsupported on your device

At 06:26 BST - the exact minute the first British troops landed on the beaches in 1944 - a lone piper played on a section of the Mulberry Harbour in the town of Arromanches.

Meanwhile, Mr Macron will accompany US President Donald Trump at an event at the US war cemetery at Omaha Beach, Colleville-sur-Mer.

Other events taking place include:

• A veteran's parade in Arromanches, followed by a Red Arrows flypast
• A service of remembrance and wreath laying at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire
• In Portsmouth, a veteran's parade before a memorial service at the city's D-Day Stone
• The Duke of Sussex will join the Chelsea Pensioners and six D-Day veterans for Founder's Day at London's Royal Hospital Chelsea
• In Edinburgh, 15 D-Day veterans will be presented with the Knight of the Légion d'Honneur Cross at the French Consulate

Wednesday saw the first day of the 75th anniversary events, with leaders from every country that fought alongside the UK on D-Day joining the Queen in Portsmouth.

Veterans of the landings were also in attendance as the Queen paid tribute to the "heroism, courage and sacrifice" of those who died.

Mr Trump - who was on the last day of his three-day UK state visit - said D-Day "may have been the greatest battle ever".

Getty Images

D-Day landings

• 7,000ships and landing craft involved and 10,000 vehicles

• 4,400from the combined allied forces died on the day

• 4,000 - 9,000German casualties

• Thousandsof French civilians also died

Around 300 veterans were then waved off on the cruise ship MV Boudicca as it set off for the Normandy commemorations.

But two veterans - Harry Read, 95, and John Hutton, 94, - parachuted back into Normandy, 75 years after their first landing.

This time, they jumped in tandem with members of the Army's Parachute Regiment display team, the Red Devils - and were greeted by cheers.

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2019-06-06 07:45:23Z
52780309855640

D-Day: May and Macron in France to mark 75th anniversary - BBC News

Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron have joined D-Day veterans in northern France for a second day of events to mark the 75th anniversary of the Normandy invasion.

A lone piper played to mark the moment when the first UK soldiers went ashore.

At an inauguration ceremony, Mrs May told veterans "thank you", while Mr Macron said we owe them "our freedom".

Later, US President Donald Trump will accompany Mr Macron at the US War Cemetery at Omaha Beach.

Hundreds of veterans have gathered in Normandy for the anniversary of the largest combined land, air and naval operation in history.

Mr Macron and Mrs May - in one of her final engagements as Conservative leader - were in Ver-sur-Mer to see the first stone laid for a memorial to commemorate the 22,442 British troops who died there in the summer of 1944.

Mrs May told the ceremony that she was humbled to be able to mark the moment with veterans, adding: "If one day can be said to have determined the fate of generations to come in France, in Britain, in Europe and the world, that day was June 6, 1944."

Mr Macron paid tribute to those who fought in the war and thanked troops for their courage.

In his speech, he said: "This is where young men, many of whom had never set foot on French soil, landed at dawn under German fire, risking their lives while fighting their way up the beach, which was littered with obstacles and mines."

The French president also paid tribute to the UK prime minister, saying: "Leaders may come and go but their achievements remain. The force of our friendship will outlast current events."

The day's commemorations mark key events in the operation, which was aimed at bringing an end to World War Two.

By night-time on 6 June 1944, about 156,000 Allied troops had landed on Normandy's beaches, despite challenging weather and fierce German defences. Some had drowned when they were accidentally dropped off too soon in deep waters.

By the end of D-Day, the Allies had established a foothold in France and within 11 months Nazi Germany was defeated and the war was over.

Media playback is unsupported on your device

At 06:26 BST - the exact minute the first British troops landed on the beaches in 1944 - a lone piper played on a section of the Mulberry Harbour in the town of Arromanches.

Mrs May will later join the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon for a service in Bayeux - the first city in France to be liberated by the invasion.

That will be followed by a service at Bayeux War Cemetery, where many of the fallen were buried.

Meanwhile, Mr Macron will accompany US President Donald Trump at an event at the US war cemetery at Omaha Beach, Colleville-sur-Mer.

Other events taking place include:

• A veteran's parade in Arromanches, followed by a Red Arrows flypast
• A service of remembrance and wreath laying at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire
• In Portsmouth, a veteran's parade before a memorial service at the city's D-Day Stone
• The Duke of Sussex will join the Chelsea Pensioners and six D-Day veterans for Founder's Day at London's Royal Hospital Chelsea
• In Edinburgh, 15 D-Day veterans will be presented with the Knight of the Légion d'Honneur Cross at the French Consulate

Wednesday saw the first day of the 75th anniversary events, with leaders from every country that fought alongside the UK on D-Day joining the Queen in Portsmouth.

Veterans of the landings were also in attendance as the Queen paid tribute to the "heroism, courage and sacrifice" of those who died.

Mr Trump - who was on the last day of his three-day UK state visit - said D-Day "may have been the greatest battle ever".

Getty Images

D-Day landings

• 7,000ships and landing craft involved and 10,000 vehicles

• 4,400from the combined allied forces died on the day

• 4,000 - 9,000German casualties

• Thousandsof French civilians also died

Around 300 veterans were then waved off on the cruise ship MV Boudicca as it set off for the Normandy commemorations.

But two veterans - Harry Read, 95, and John Hutton, 94, - parachuted back into Normandy, 75 years after their first landing.

This time, they jumped in tandem with members of the Army's Parachute Regiment display team, the Red Devils - and were greeted by cheers.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48536906

2019-06-06 06:56:15Z
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Trump Says Mexico 'Wants to Make a Deal' as Mexican Officials Head to White House to Avoid Tariffs - The New York Times

WASHINGTON — Vice President Mike Pence and other top administration officials will meet Wednesday with Mexico’s top diplomat as both sides try to avert the potentially crippling economic consequences of President Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on all Mexican imports.

Mr. Trump has vowed to impose a 5 percent tariff on all goods from Mexico beginning Monday and to increase the tax to 25 percent by October if Mexico does not prevent migrants from illegally entering the United States. On Tuesday, Mr. Trump said that it was “more likely that the tariffs” would be imposed. But on Wednesday, the president said he believed Mexico was ready to make a deal to prevent the tariffs from going into effect.

”Mexico, you know, wants to make a deal,” Mr. Trump said during a trip to Ireland. “They have their entire delegation right now going over to probably the White House location to negotiate with our people.”

Mexican officials, along with Republican lawmakers, are trying to prevent Mr. Trump from imposing tariffs on Monday, as he has threatened. Marcelo Ebrard, the Mexican foreign minister, is scheduled to meet on Wednesday afternoon at the White House with Mr. Pence, a senior administration official said, in an effort to convince the president that Mexico is doing everything it can to help prevent illegal immigration across the United States border. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Robert Lighthizer, the United States Trade Representative, were also expected to attend the meeting.

Mr. Trump, frustrated by what he views as Mexico’s failure to stem the flow of migrants, said he would use broad emergency powers to impose punishing tariffs on the country. But top American officials have spoken in vague terms about what steps Mexico must take, and it remains unclear exactly what Mexico could do to persuade Mr. Trump to back down.

Peter Navarro, a top trade adviser who has advocated using levies to punish Mexico, said in an interview with CNN on Wednesday that Mr. Trump’s threat had gotten the Mexican government’s attention and that the United States might not have to impose the tariffs.

“We believe that these tariffs may not have to go into effect precisely because we have the Mexicans’ attention,” Mr. Navarro said

He outlined several things that Mexico must do to prevent the tariffs, including committing to taking “all the asylum seekers and applying Mexican laws which are much stronger than ours.”

He also urged Mexico to do more to secure its border with Guatemala and tighten check points for migrants within Mexico.

Mr. Ebrard has also expressed optimism, telling reporters on Tuesday in Washington that there was an 80 percent chance that Mr. Trump would not impose the tariffs.

But others in Washington were more doubtful that the two sides could come to a resolution before Monday’s deadline. Carlos Heredia, a professor at the Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas in Mexico City, said Tuesday that whatever action Mexico takes to prevent migration into the United States, it was unlikely to satisfy the president.

“If there is any logic to the way that President Trump handles policy, it’s that he likes conflict,” Mr. Heredia said. “I don’t think that there is a way to please Trump.”

Others said that it would take time for Mexico to make the changes the Trump administration was requesting.

“This is not going to happen in seven days,” said Arturo Sarukhan, a former Mexican ambassador to the United States. “You can’t enforce your way out of a migration crisis.”

Mr. Trump’s threat to tax Mexican products has rattled financial markets and prompted an outcry from businesses that would be affected, including automakers, agricultural companies and retailers. The chairman of the Federal Reserve said on Tuesday that the central bank was watching Mr. Trump’s trade war warily and would act to prevent economic damage from the conflict.

Image

Marcelo Ebrard, the Mexican foreign minister, on Tuesday at the Capitol in Washington.CreditErin Schaff/The New York Times

Mr. Trump has made heavy use of tariffs on trading partners from China to Europe, but imposing tariffs on Mexico, the United States’ largest trading partner, would be a significant escalation in the president’s trade war. Mexico is a key supplier of products like fresh tomatoes and grapes; bluejeans; televisions; medical devices; and automobiles. Many companies have created supply chains that snake back and forth across the border — meaning some companies could be forced to pay Mr. Trump’s tariff multiple times as their products travel from farms to factories to consumers.

Businesses are also worried that the president’s move risks derailing what would be his signature trade achievement: passing the newly negotiated North American trade agreement.

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement was signed last year, but it still needs to be ratified by legislators in all three countries. Mexico submitted the text to its Senate hours before Mr. Trump’s threat. But Mexican officials are unlikely to move forward with that vote with the threat of tariffs hanging over them.

Mr. Ebrard, who has been in Washington all week meeting with Trump administration officials and members of Congress, said earlier in the week that Mexico was already enforcing its own immigration laws but argued that there was more the countries could do to work together. He said Mexican officials had come to Washington ready to “design actions together.”

Kevin McAleenan, the acting secretary of homeland security, repeated the administration’s demands in an interview with The Hill published on Tuesday. He said Mexico must crack down on illegal crossings from Guatemala, and use American intelligence to target smuggling operations that try to sneak migrants across the border.

Mr. McAleenan also said the administration expects Mexico to help tighten the shared border, even though the Mexican government has agreed to take in migrants while their asylum cases are processed in the United States.

“We can’t have the situation where 1,000 people in one group can cross the border at 4 a.m. without any interdiction or any effort to stop that unlawful activity,” said Mr. McAleenan, citing a group that illegally crossed last week into El Paso. The group of 1,036 migrants was the largest ever recorded by the Department of Homeland Security to cross illegally into the United States.

But Mexico has maintained that it is already taking action to stem the flow of migrants.

Mexico’s ambassador to the United States, Martha Bárcena, said in a press conference Monday that without Mexico’s efforts, many more migrants would be arriving at American borders.

“There is a clear limit to what we can negotiate,” Ms. Bárcena said. “And that limit is Mexican dignity.”

On Tuesday, Mr. Ebrard met for a half-hour with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and several other Democratic lawmakers.

Republican senators are also mobilizing to prevent the White House from moving ahead with tariffs, warning Mr. Trump on Tuesday that they were almost uniformly opposed to his plans to tax Mexican imports.

Several big states would be hit hard by the proposed tariffs on Mexican products, including Texas, Michigan, California, Illinois and Ohio, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

“We’re holding a gun to our own heads,” said Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas.

Officials at Customs and Border Protection were making preparations on Wednesday to begin imposing the tariffs just after midnight on Monday morning.

In an interview, a Customs spokesman said the department was waiting for Mr. Trump to issue a presidential proclamation, which would then by followed by a Federal Register notice, outlining the basis for the tariffs and the universe of Mexican products to which they would apply. But even without a formal order establishing the tariffs, Customers workers are already building up the informational technology infrastructure needed to apply the tariffs on Monday morning to importers bringing in goods from Mexico.

Officials said they were readying technical guidance for importers, to help them properly fill out paperwork and pay the appropriate tariff — and preparing to assist those importers who have grown accustomed to paying no tariffs under the terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

They also said administration officials are still discussing whether there will be exemptions for certain industries from the tariffs, and whether there will be a formal process for American companies to apply for tariff exclusions for certain products they import, as was the case with steel and aluminum tariffs and some tariffs on products from China.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/05/us/politics/mexico-tariffs.html

2019-06-05 17:03:45Z
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White House trade advisor Peter Navarro says Trump's new tariffs 'may not have to go into effect' depending on US-Mexico talks - CNBC

White House trade advisor Peter Navarro said that President Donald Trump's new tariffs on Mexico "may not have to go into effect," depending on the outcome of talks between U.S. and Mexican officials.

Navarro, a hard-line supporter of Trump's tariffs, said in a CNN interview there were "absolutely" concessions Mexico could make at the meetings, scheduled for later Wednesday at the White House, that would stop the tariffs on 5% of all Mexican imports from going into effect on Monday.

Trump is using the threat of tariffs to force Mexico to stem the flow of undocumented migrants crossing the U.S. border.

The White House advisor outlined three specific areas where Mexico could make changes to stop Trump from slapping tariffs on their goods:

• Mexico should crack down on asylum seekers, Navarro said.
• Mexico should strengthen its enforcement of its own southern border with Guatemala, he added.
• And Mexico should put an end to government corruption at immigration checkpoints in the country.

"That's it. That's what we're looking for," Navarro concluded.

Trump announced the tariffs Twitter last week, taking the markets and even politicians in his own party by surprise. The tariffs are currently poised to go into effect Monday, and are set to be gradually hiked up to 25% by October.

But Navarro said in the interview Wednesday morning that "we believe that these tariffs may not have to go into effect, precisely because we have the Mexicans' attention."

The "number one" issue on Navarro's list would be for Mexico to "commit to taking all the asylum seekers and then applying Mexican laws, which are much stronger than ours."

"Look, here's the thing," he said. "If the people who are moving up with scripts to claim asylum from their narco-trafficker, human-trafficker handlers simply understood that that script ain't gonna work anymore getting into America," then the stream of migrants coming up to the southern border to claim asylum "will go to a trickle."

Navarro's focus on "scripts" appeared to reference the alleged problem of migrants reciting language at the border claiming that they have a credible fear of persecution or harm and therefore are eligible for asylum. It's unclear how Mexico would address that problem; U.S. asylum officers, meanwhile, have been directed to challenge such claims, according to internal documents reported on in May by The Washington Post.

The second concession, he said, would be to get "a strong commitment from the Mexican government to put resources" on its own southern border with Guatemala. Navarro explained that the roughly 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico is "very hard to police," while the 150-mile Mexico-Guatemala border is not only much narrower and "better yet, it has natural and artificial choke points where it is really easy to police."

The last demand Navarro says the U.S. wants from Mexico is to put an end to corruption at checkpoints. "Those checkpoints are designed to stop the flood, but instead it's ... the corruption, the government officials who make money off this human trafficking," Navarro said.

"That has to stop."

Navarro said his three proposed concessions were already made "very, very clear" by a Trump administration official "the first day" that the tariffs were announced. But acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney had told reporters the day Trump announced the tariffs that "We did not set a specific percentage, did not set a specific number" for Mexico to reduce immigration levels. "It's a very fluid situation," Mulvaney said.

While Navarro's remarks Wednesday suggested that there was a distinct possibility of averting the tariffs, Trump himself has made the tariffs sound more like an inevitability.

At a press conference Tuesday in London alongside British Prime Minister Theresa May, Trump reaffirmed that the new policy "will take effect next week."

In a tweet Sunday, Trump appeared dismissive toward the possibility of making significant progress with Mexico during the talks with White House officials, including Vice President Mike Pence.

"Mexico is sending a big delegation to talk about the Border. Problem is, they've been "talking" for 25 years," Trump tweeted. "We want action, not talk."

Meanwhile, a growing number of Republican senators have signaled that they oppose Trump's tariffs. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., for example, said after a GOP lunch discussion about the White House policy that "there is not much support in my conference for tariffs, that's for sure."

Congress may try and schedule a vote to block the tariffs if Trump uses his emergency powers to impose them.

Trump told reporters Wednesday that "Mexico you know wants to make a deal," referring to the White House talks. 

"I think they want to do something, they want to make a deal," Trump said. "We'll see what happens."

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2019-06-05 16:14:17Z
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D-Day veteran, 99, gets ovation from the Queen and Trump as he leads tributes - Fox News

A 99-year-old D-Day veteran got a standing ovation from Donald Trump and the Queen Wednesday as he led the nation's tributes to brave troops who stormed the Normandy beaches 75 years ago.

John Jenkins gave a moving speech at the historic D-Day commemoration ceremony in Portsmouth.

As he walked on to the stage, the entire crowd - including the Queen, Prince Charles, Donald Trump and Theresa May - rose to honor him.

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D-Day veteran John Jenkins on stage during commemorations for the 75th Anniversary of the D-Day landings, in Portsmouth, England, Wednesday June 5, 2019. (PA via AP)

WORLD LEADERS INCLUDING PRESIDENT TRUMP GATHER TO COMMEMORATE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF D-DAY LANDINGS

Mr Jenkins was a 24-year-old platoon sergeant in the Pioneer Corps when he landed in Normandy on June 8, 1944.

He was deployed on Gold Beach, one of the five landing points on the French coast where Allied troops launched their operations.

Mr Jenkins, from Portsmouth, told the crowd: "I was terrified. I think everyone was - you don't show it, but it's there.

"I look back on it as a big part of my life, it changed me in a way - but I was just a small part in a very big machine.

"You never forget your comrades because we were all in there together."

WALTER BORNEMAN: REMEMBER THESE TWO YOUNG MEN WHO HELPED TO WIN D-DAY

D-Day veteran John Jenkins stands onstage during an event to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day in Portsmouth, England Wednesday, June 5, 2019.

The veteran concluded: "It's right that the courage and sacrifice of so many veterans is being honored 75 years on.

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"We must never forget - thank you."

This story originally appeared in The Sun. For more from The Sun, click here.

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2019-06-05 14:58:03Z
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Mexico's Top Diplomat to Meet With Pence in Effort to Avoid Trump Tariffs - The New York Times

WASHINGTON — Vice President Mike Pence and other top administration officials will meet Wednesday with Mexico’s top diplomat as both sides try to avert the potentially crippling economic consequences of President Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on all Mexican imports.

Mr. Trump has vowed to impose a 5 percent tariff on all goods from Mexico beginning Monday and to increase the tax to 25 percent by October if Mexico does not prevent migrants from illegally entering the United States. Mr. Trump, speaking Tuesday in London, said that it was “more likely that the tariffs” would be imposed on Monday as he has threatened.

Mexican officials, along with Republican lawmakers, are trying to prevent that outcome. Marcelo Ebrard, the Mexican foreign minister, is scheduled to meet on Wednesday afternoon at the White House with Mr. Pence, a senior administration official said, in an effort to convince the president that Mexico is doing everything it can to help prevent illegal immigration across the United States border. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Robert Lighthizer, the United States Trade Representative, were also expected to attend the meeting.

Mr. Trump, frustrated by what he views as Mexico’s failure to stem the flow of migrants, said he would use broad emergency powers to impose punishing tariffs on the country. But top American officials have spoken in vague terms about what steps Mexico must take, and it remains unclear exactly what Mexico could do to persuade Mr. Trump to back down.

Peter Navarro, a top trade adviser who has advocated using levies to punish Mexico, said in an interview with CNN on Wednesday that Mr. Trump’s threat had gotten the Mexican government’s attention and that the United States might not have to impose the tariffs.

“We believe that these tariffs may not have to go into effect precisely because we have the Mexicans’ attention,” Mr. Navarro said

He outlined several things that Mexico must do to prevent the tariffs, including committing to taking “all the asylum seekers and applying Mexican laws which are much stronger than ours.”

He also urged Mexico to do more to secure its border with Guatemala and tighten check points for migrants within Mexico.

Mr. Ebrard has also expressed optimism, telling reporters on Tuesday in Washington that there was an 80 percent chance that Mr. Trump would not impose the tariffs.

But others in Washington were more doubtful that the two sides could come to a resolution before Monday’s deadline. Carlos Heredia, a professor at the Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas in Mexico City, said Tuesday that whatever action Mexico takes to prevent migration into the United States, it was unlikely to satisfy the president.

“If there is any logic to the way that President Trump handles policy, it’s that he likes conflict,” Mr. Heredia said. “I don’t think that there is a way to please Trump.”

Others said that it would take time for Mexico to make the changes the Trump administration was requesting.

“This is not going to happen in seven days,” said Arturo Sarukhan, a former Mexican ambassador to the United States. “You can’t enforce your way out of a migration crisis.”

Mr. Trump’s threat to tax Mexican products has rattled financial markets and prompted an outcry from businesses that would be affected, including automakers, agricultural companies and retailers. The chairman of the Federal Reserve said on Tuesday that the central bank was watching Mr. Trump’s trade war warily and would act to prevent economic damage from the conflict.

Image

Marcelo Ebrard, the Mexican foreign minister, on Tuesday at the Capitol in Washington.CreditErin Schaff/The New York Times

Mr. Trump has made heavy use of tariffs on trading partners from China to Europe, but imposing tariffs on Mexico, the United States’ largest trading partner, would be a significant escalation in the president’s trade war. Mexico is a key supplier of products like fresh tomatoes and grapes; bluejeans; televisions; medical devices; and automobiles. Many companies have created supply chains that snake back and forth across the border — meaning some companies could be forced to pay Mr. Trump’s tariff multiple times as their products travel from farms to factories to consumers.

Businesses are also worried that the president’s move risks derailing what would be his signature trade achievement: passing the newly negotiated North American trade agreement.

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement was signed last year, but it still needs to be ratified by legislators in all three countries. Mexico submitted the text to its Senate hours before Mr. Trump’s threat. But Mexican officials are unlikely to move forward with that vote with the threat of tariffs hanging over them.

Mr. Ebrard, who has been in Washington all week meeting with Trump administration officials and members of Congress, said earlier in the week that Mexico was already enforcing its own immigration laws but argued that there was more the countries could do to work together. He said Mexican officials had come to Washington ready to “design actions together.”

Kevin McAleenan, the acting secretary of homeland security, repeated the administration’s demands in an interview with The Hill published on Tuesday. He said Mexico must crack down on illegal crossings from Guatemala, and use American intelligence to target smuggling operations that try to sneak migrants across the border.

Mr. McAleenan also said the administration expects Mexico to help tighten the shared border, even though the Mexican government has agreed to take in migrants while their asylum cases are processed in the United States.

“We can’t have the situation where 1,000 people in one group can cross the border at 4 a.m. without any interdiction or any effort to stop that unlawful activity,” said Mr. McAleenan, citing a group that illegally crossed last week into El Paso. The group of 1,036 migrants was the largest ever recorded by the Department of Homeland Security to cross illegally into the United States.

But Mexico has maintained that it is already taking action to stem the flow of migrants.

Mexico’s ambassador to the United States, Martha Bárcena, said in a press conference Monday that without Mexico’s efforts, many more migrants would be arriving at American borders.

“There is a clear limit to what we can negotiate,” Ms. Bárcena said. “And that limit is Mexican dignity.”

On Tuesday, Mr. Ebrard met for a half-hour with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and several other Democratic lawmakers.

Republican senators are also mobilizing to prevent the White House from moving ahead with tariffs, warning Mr. Trump on Tuesday that they were almost uniformly opposed to his plans to tax Mexican imports.

Several big states would be hit hard by the proposed tariffs on Mexican products, including Texas, Michigan, California, Illinois and Ohio, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

“We’re holding a gun to our own heads,” said Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas.

Officials at Customs and Border Protection were making preparations on Wednesday to begin imposing the tariffs just after midnight on Monday morning.

In an interview, a Customs spokesman said the department was waiting for Mr. Trump to issue a presidential proclamation, which would then by followed by a Federal Register notice, outlining the basis for the tariffs and the universe of Mexican products to which they would apply. But even without a formal order establishing the tariffs, Customers workers are already building up the informational technology infrastructure needed to apply the tariffs on Monday morning to importers bringing in goods from Mexico.

Officials said they were readying technical guidance for importers, to help them properly fill out paperwork and pay the appropriate tariff — and preparing to assist those importers who have grown accustomed to paying no tariffs under the terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

They also said administration officials are still discussing whether there will be exemptions for certain industries from the tariffs, and whether there will be a formal process for American companies to apply for tariff exclusions for certain products they import, as was the case with steel and aluminum tariffs and some tariffs on products from China.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/05/us/politics/ebrard-pence-mexico-tariffs.html

2019-06-05 14:50:51Z
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