Mick Mulvaney says Trump is 'deadly serious' about Mexico tariffs

Mick Mulvaney.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney told Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace that President Trump is "absolutely, deadly serious" about imposing a 5 percent tariff on Mexican imports starting June 10.

On Thursday, Trump tweeted that the tariff would remain in place "until such time as illegal migrants coming through Mexico, and into our Country, STOP." Mulvaney told Wallace the White House has been working on a plan "for months" to deal with an influx of migrants coming to the United States, and Mexico needs to tighten security along its southern border. "It is much easier to secure that border than it is our border because it is so much shorter," he said. "It is about a quarter of the length." Mexico's southern borders with Guatemala and Belize add up to roughly 700 miles.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.