A meeting between high-level US and Mexican officials on immigration and trade concluded on Wednesday without a deal, NBC News reported, citing a senior administration official.
US President Donald Trump said in a Wednesday evening Tweet from Ireland that progress had been made, "but not nearly enough". He noted that if no agreement is reached, the first tariff will enter force on Monday.
Immigration discussions at the White House with representatives of Mexico have ended for the day. Progress is being made, but not nearly enough! Border arrests for May are at 133,000 because of Mexico & the Democrats in Congress refusing to budge on immigration reform. Further…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 5, 2019
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will also hold a meeting on Wednesday with Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, after a larger meeting at the White House, a State Department official said, cited by Reuters.
READ MORE: New Migrant Caravan Forming in Honduras to Attempt to Cross Into US — Reports
The bilateral talks come days before the 5 percent tariffs on all Mexican imports are set to come into force. The tariffs were slated to take effect on 10 June, as announced earlier by Trump, who then noted that the last-minute talks were unlikely to stop the tariffs from going into effect.
On June 10th, the United States will impose a 5% Tariff on all goods coming into our Country from Mexico, until such time as illegal migrants coming through Mexico, and into our Country, STOP. The Tariff will gradually increase until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied,..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2019
Earlier in the day, Reuters reported, citing Mexican government sources, that Mexico would not accept "safe third country status" which would require Central American asylum claimants to seek refuge in Mexico instead of the United States.
An increasing number of migrants from Central America have been arriving at the US border with Mexico in recent months. Trump has called the surge of arrivals a crisis and declared a national emergency in February to secure funds to build a border wall.
The Trump administration has been making efforts to stop illegal migration into the United States, even threatening to close the southern US border.
READ MORE: US Prepared to Prevent Latest Migrant Caravan From Illegal Entry — Nielsen
