There is no question that President Trump’s announcement that he will impose a 5% monthly graduated tariff on Mexican goods beginning on June 10 may negatively impact on the prospect for a replacement deal for the now lapsed North American Free Trade Agreement. And there is also merit to the claim by several Democratic presidential candidates that many American consumers will have to pay significantly more for popular Mexican imports.
But the President maintains that Mexico has failed to get serious about stopping the enormous numbers of illegal immigrants from across Latin America that regularly cross the Mexican border into the U.S. Under the Trump plan, the monthly incremental tariffs will continue to increase until a maximum of 25% which will be pegged to Mexico’s progress in stemming the immigrant flow.
The alien problem is a most severe one. The news media regularly report that the U.S. border control personnel continue to be overwhelmed by the large numbers of illegals who are said to make up the largest such influx in American history. In many respects the border with Mexico is in free fall. Indeed, it seems that there are so many illegals finding their way into the U.S. that the detention and disposition program is in chaos and has resulted in innumerable numbers just slipping into the interior and getting lost.
There have to be measures taken. True, there are those aforementioned negatives to the president’s tariff regime, but in all fairness his plan for building a wall or enhanced detentions have been thwarted by a Democratic-controlled Congress. They denied him the funds to build the wall and then largely Obama-appointed judges – in cases prompted by Democrats – denied him the authority to substantially increase the detention program or to use funds already allocated for other purposes.
Democrats have yet to offer a realistic plan for dealing with the runaway illegal immigration. What they do seem to be urging is the acceptance of the notion that regulated immigration is a thing of the past as far as the United States is concerned. And that is just the way it will be.
But our elected chief of state is not interested in throwing in the towel. And he should be supported in employing the methods he chooses – especially since other alternatives have been blocked by those offering no other possibilities.
It’s time for a public outcry against those Democrats who want to jettison our borders either to kow tow to the progressives or just to stymie Trump.