BORDER/IMMIGRATION/MEXICO/TARIFFS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Mexico and the United States are discussing significant changes in asylum rules and border enforcement that could forestall President Trump from imposing tariffs on all Mexican imports, senior officials from both countries said Thursday [6-6-19]. The changes under consideration would give the United States a greater ability to reject requests for entry from migrant families fleeing violence in Central America, according to those officials. Under the new arrangement, migrants would be required to seek asylum in the first foreign country they enter after leaving their homes. Guatemalans looking for refuge would have to apply for asylum in Mexico rather than the United States. And those fleeing El Salvador and Honduras would have to seek asylum in Guatemala rather than continuing on to Mexico or the United States. If a deal is reached, Mexico would also allow an expansion of an American program in which those seeking asylum in the United States are required to wait in Mexico while their legal cases proceed. About 8,000 migrants are waiting in Mexico, but under the agreement, that number could grow.”
–Michael D. Shear and Azam Ahmed, “Mexico and the U.S. Have Made Progress Toward Averting Tariffs,” The New York Times online, June 6, 2019