President Donald Trump threatened to double tariffs on Mexico unless the country halts a migrant caravan heading north toward the U.S. border.
In a post on Truth Social Thursday, Trump said large caravans were forming and moving through Mexico. He claimed some countries were sending people they did not want to the United States and said they would not be allowed in. Mexico needed to stop the groups immediately, he wrote, or tariffs would be doubled. He added that Mexican officials, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, border agents and Immigration and Customs Enforcement had been notified.
Trump also linked the renewed migration to the midterm election results, arguing that the perceived Republican losses had encouraged what he called an “invasion” of the country. He noted he had not been on the ballot.
The caravan, estimated at about 1,500 people—mostly from Central America—left Tapachula in southern Mexico on Tuesday, near the Guatemalan border. Some migrants reportedly hoped the U.S. election results might create new opportunities to live and work in the country.
Democratic gains in state attorney general races could also affect legal challenges to some of Trump’s immigration policies. Texas Attorney General-elect Nathan Johnson could choose not to continue defending SB4, a state law that allows authorities to arrest and prosecute people suspected of crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally. A federal appeals court allowed the law to take effect in April while a legal challenge continues.
Republican Ken Paxton remains Texas attorney general until Johnson takes office on Jan. 1, 2027. Paxton did not seek reelection as attorney general while pursuing a U.S. Senate seat, a bid he lost.
The Supreme Court is separately considering whether to hear Iowa’s appeal of a ruling that blocked a state law allowing officials to arrest and prosecute people living in the country illegally. If the court takes up the case, Iowa’s incoming Democratic attorney general, Nate Willems, could decide not to defend the law.
