Contrary to popular belief, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum did not halt the migrant caravans journeying towards the U.S. border as a reaction to tariff threats from the soon-to-be U.S. President Donald Trump.
Donald Trump, who was set to assume office as the U.S. President in January 2025, took to his social media platform Truth Social on November 25, 2024. He expressed a firm intent to impose a 25% tariff on goods imported from Mexico and Canada. He asserted that these tariffs would persist until issues pertaining to the illicit drug trade, especially Fentanyl, along with illegal immigration, were resolved.
Subsequently, Mexico’s recently inaugurated President Claudia Sheinbaum, presented a letter she planned to send to Trump during a public address on November 26. The letter countered the suggestions made by Trump, affirming that various measures undertaken by the Mexican government led to a significant 75% decline in border incidents, according to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol data.
Sheinbaum conveyed in her letter that these implemented measures were the primary reason why the migrant caravans ceased to reach the border.
However, a number of conservative commentators on platforms like X offered a contrasting interpretation of Sheinbaum’s statement. They publicized the notion that President Sheinbaum intended to curtail the arriving migrant caravans at the southern border as a direct consequence of Trump’s proposed tariffs.
These claims, however, were ungrounded. Sheinbaum’s letter emphasized that the decisions impeding the arrival of migrant caravans at the border were instituted during the tenure of the Biden administration. These policies were not brought about by the threats of tariffs from Trump.
Notably, just before Trump came out with his tariff threats against Mexico, Reuters had already published an article on November 8, 2024. The news report stated that Mexico has chosen to ‘persist with policies that aim to inhibit the flow of migrants,’ suggesting that such policies predated Trump’s public threats.
As reported by The New York Times, it is atypical for migrant caravans coming from Mexico to successfully reach the U.S. border. These migrant caravans typically disperse before reaching the border, compelled by exhaustion or negotiations with the Mexican government.
In case Trump decided to go forward with his proposed tariffs, Reuters reported that Mexico might retaliate with its own tariffs, citing words from Sheinbaum’s Secretary of Economy Marcelo Ebrard.
Sheinbaum’s forthcoming letter also addressed this prospect, noting that ‘retaliatory tariffs could follow one after the other, creating a cycle that might endanger joint ventures.’
Details of Sheinbaum’s letter were publicly available on the official website of the Mexican government. The original publication was in Spanish.
To ensure accurate understanding, the text was translated using automated translation technology like Google Translate. Afterwards, multi-lingual staff members at Snopes meticulously reviewed, adjusted, and verified the text for optimal comprehension and factual accuracy.