Mexico fires back at Trump’s ‘unfair’ tariff threat

Mexican officials have condemned President Trump’s proposed tariffs on Mexican goods over illegal immigration into the U.S. 

“I tell all Mexicans to have faith, we will overcome this attitude of the U.S. government, they will make rectifications, because the Mexican people don’t deserve to be treated in the way being attempted,” Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador told reporters Friday, according to Reuters. 

{mosads}He said he would use “great prudence” while trying to resolve the countries’ disagreements and added that he would not seek help from the World Trade Organization for now, according to the wire service.  

Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, who was expected to travel to Washington on Friday, said on Twitter that Mexico’s treatment at Trump’s hands is “unfair” and does not make economic sense. 

De acuerdo a las instrucciones del Presidente hoy saldremos varios funcionarios hacia Washington D.C. para entablar conversaciones a la brevedad con las autoridades norteamericanas. El trato a México es injusto y no tiene sentido económico para nadie.

— Marcelo Ebrard C. (@m_ebrard) May 31, 2019

López Obrador on Thursday also wrote a letter to Trump in which he called the president’s “America First” policy a “fallacy.”

“With all due respect, although you have the right to express it, ‘America First’ is a fallacy because until the end of times, even beyond national borders, justice and universal fraternity will prevail,” López Obrador wrote. 

He added that the country was doing “as much as possible” to stop the influx of Central American migrants to the U.S. “without violating human rights.”

Trump on Thursday announced that he will impose a 5 percent tariff all Mexican imports starting June 10 “until such time as illegal migrants coming through Mexico, and into our Country, STOP.”