US, Mexico resume tariff, border talks

US and Mexican officials resumed negotiations on Thursday in Washington in an effort to avoid the imposition of tariffs on Mexican goods.

The second day of talks was being held after President Donald Trump said that the first negotiation session on Wednesday didn't produce enough "progress" by Mexico in stemming the flow of illegal immigration to the US.

Mexican negotiators remained optimistic a deal could be reached. But the threat of tariffs grew after Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin told Mexico's ambassador there aren't enough votes to block Trump's action on Mexican imports, despite fears the move would boost consumer prices and harm the economies of both nations.

"I think a lot of progress was made yesterday, but we need to make a lot of progress," Trump told reporters in Shannon, Ireland, on Thursday before leaving for France to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day, the Allied landings in Normandy that led to the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. "Something pretty dramatic could happen in the coming days."

Starting Monday, Trump has vowed to impose a 5 percent tariff on about $360 billion of Mexican imports, including cars, trucks and busses valued at $68 billion; about $14 billion in crude oil and $14 billion on fruits and vegetables. The tariffs would rise 5 points each month and reach 25 percent in October, making tariffs on Mexico larger than those imposed on China in an ongoing trade dispute.

Imposition of tariffs on Mexico is widely opposed by Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate.

But Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina who is close to Trump, reversed his position and last week tweeted: "I support President Trump's decision to impose tariffs on Mexico until they up their game to help us with our border disaster. The illegal flows from Central America must stop and Mexico needs to do more."

In Mexico, soldiers, police and immigration officials have blocked migrants from crossing the country's southern border. Trump wants Mexico to cut the flow of migrants from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador who travel north and enter the US illegally in search of jobs.

Mexico said it apprehended 26,000 migrants in May, more than double the number caught in the same month a year ago. It said that 25,500 people were apprehended heading to the US in April, 12,700 in March and 8,500 in January. The US Border Patrol said apprehensions of illegal immigrants on the southern border in May reached 132,887, the highest level in 10 years.

Many entering the US illegally say they are fleeing violence in their home countries and claim asylum. Claimants are given a court date to resolve their cases, but few show up for the hearing and there is no systematic way to determine their whereabouts after they are released at the border.

Trump wants Mexico to agree to a "safe third country" treaty that would require Mexico to allow migrants from Central America or other nations to apply for asylum in Mexico rather than continuing to the US and making such claims to American officials at the border. Mexico opposes the idea because it would be forced to accept refugees throughout Central and South America.

The New York Times reported on Thursday that Trump wants Mexico to completely halt illegal immigration across the southern border of the US.

"It shows a basic misunderstanding about the patterns of migration,'' Kevin Appleby was quoted by the newspaper as saying. Appleby was described by the Times as a veteran of Washington's immigration issues over two decades.