BORDER/IMMIGRATION/NAFTA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump on Tuesday [4-3-18] warned that the North American Free Trade Agreement was ‘in play’ and threatened to end aid to Honduras and other Central American countries if an organized protest march of 1,000 asylum seekers traveling through Mexico reaches the U.S. border…Mr. Trump’s threats on Nafta come as American, Canadian and Mexican officials are months into talks to overhaul the 24-year-old trade agreement. Late last month, the parties indicated they had cleared what had been a sticking point on auto-industry issues, a move that could put them on track to reach a possible deal as early as this month. Trade analysts have suggested the U.S. may be interested in a quick end to Nafta talks in light of the administration’s recently announced trade actions against China. The ‘caravan of people’ Mr. Trump attacked Tuesday is an annual event that leaders say aims to raise awareness about the tens of thousands of Central Americans who, facing gang violence and political unrest in one of the world’s most violent areas, flee every year to Mexico or the U.S. Many are turned back, extorted or kidnapped along the way.”
-Rebecca Ballhaus and William Mauldin, “Trump Threatens Nafta, Honduras Aid Over Migrant ‘Caravan’,” The Wall Street Journal, April 3, 2018 11:44am