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AILA Doc. No. 19053133 | Dated May 31, 2019
CONTACTS: | |
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George Tzamaras 202-507-7649 gtzamaras@aila.org |
Belle Woods 202-507-7675 bwoods@aila.org |
Washington, DC - President Trump announced new tariffs would be imposed on Mexican imports to the United States, describing the tariffs as a way to control rising border apprehensions. A five percent tariff would begin June 10, going up over the following months to 25 percent in October and continuing at that percentage if insufficient efforts are made according to the president's determination. Leadership of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) responded with the following statement:
Anastasia Tonello, AILA President, stated, "With these tariffs, the administration is seeking to blame others for a situation rather than taking responsibility for its own role in creating this crisis. Punishing foreign country partners we need to work with, and harming the U.S. economy in the process, isn't the solution. If a tariff is implemented, American families and businesses will bear the burden given the nearly $350 billion in goods imported from Mexico last year. The administration's aimless approach to the border is neither improving our nation's immigration laws nor helping border security-it's damaging our shared prosperity and creating more chaos."
AILA Executive Director Benjamin Johnson noted, "The president's own statement says 'Some of the most deadly and vicious gangs on the planet operate just across our border and terrorize innocent communities,' yet he is pushing people directly into that harm with the Remain in Mexico policy. He also said 'the cartels and coyotes are having a greater and greater impact on the Mexican side of our Southern Border…Billions of dollars are made, and countless lives are ruined, by these ruthless and merciless criminal organizations' and yet his focus is on punishing those fleeing these ruthless cartels? The Administration's strategy has only ramped up the turmoil and suffering at the border. Our nation needs solutions that restore order to the border region and improve the processing of migrants without sacrificing fundamental humanitarian values and damaging our economy."
Solutions AILA recommends include:
Cite as AILA Doc. No. 19053133.
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