Congressional action, not tariffs, would be the best way to deal with Mexico and the issue of illegal immigration, but as Democrats will not act, President Donald Trump likely will follow through with his plan to put increasing tariffs on all Mexican goods, Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., said Monday.
"The bottom line, Mexico is a great friend of ours," Duffy told MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "The problem is that they're allowing caravans of people to come from Central America in and across our country to our border, where they come in and they don't show up for their hearings."
Trump, he said, sees Congress wil not act, as "Democrats have basically embraced an open border policy."
The House will vote this week on giving green cards to people who come into the United States, Duffy added, and that will incentivize more people to enter the country illegally.
A tariff will affect Mexico's economy, Duffy said, and that will create pressure that will encourage discussions.
Former Rep. Claire McCaskill, now a contributor for MSNBC, argued an economic hit will weaken Mexico's economy, forcing more Mexicans to try to come to the United States, but Duffy argued Democrats refuse to acknowledge there is a crisis at the border.
He also denied prices have gone up for American consumers because of Trump's use of tariffs against other countries.
Further, he said farmers in his state continue to support Trump, even with the tariffs, but "we have to fix the imbalance on trade."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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