President-elect Donald Trump anticipated how he will retaliate against countries that don't want to take back their nationals slated for deportation from the United States: tariffs.
"I want them out, and the countries have got to take them back, and if they don't take them back, we won't do business with those countries, and we will tariff those countries very substantially. When they send products in, they will have substantial tariffs, and it's going to make it very hard for them to do business with us," Trump told Time magazine in his lengthy interview in the issue in which he was named "Person of the Year."
The combative approach follows a series of reports detailing that the incoming administration was trying to get a series of countries in the region to take deportees from third countries if they wouldn't.
They included Bahamas, Grenada, Panama, Mexico, as well as the Turks and Caicos. Many of them already rejected the possibility. Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis said the country "simply does not have the resources to accommodate such a request." "The prime minister's priorities remain focused on addressing the concerns of the Bahamian people."
The office did acknowledge discussions about the matter but provided no further details. It did say the office received a proposal but that it was "reviewed and firmly rejected by the prime minister." "There has been no further engagement or discussion with the Trump transition team or any other entity regarding this matter," said Davis' office. It added that the position won't change.
Turks and Caicos Minister of Immigration and Border Services Arlington Musgrove, on his end, also rejected the notion, saying that even though the government "remains committed to maintaining strong diplomatic relations with the United States," the government is "steadfast in our commitment to protecting the interests of the Turks and Caicos Islands and upholding the integrity of our immigration system."
Panamanian authorities, on their end, said they didn't receive "any official or unofficial communication regarding said proposal." "In light of international law, we have no obligation to receive deportees of other nationalities that are not Panamanian," they added.
Mexico, on its end, is seeking a deal to avoid taking deportees as well. Asked about the reports, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said in her daily press conference last week that her government hopes to "reach an agreement with the Trump administration so that, in case these deportations happen, they send people from other countries directly to their countries of origin."
Trump has made of immigration enforcement his main priority for his incoming administration, and has been using the threat of tariffs to get concessions from future counterparts to advance his agenda.
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