WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee chairman, appeared on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom” Friday to discuss the continued crisis at the southwest border and the White House’s announcement of a possible 5% tariff on Mexican goods.
Excerpts from the senator’s interview are below, and video can be found here.
“In the White House announcement they say they’re going to impose these tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, so I’ll wait to hear their full justification in terms of how they’re going to impose these tariffs. But I completely understand President Trump’s frustration about, first of all Mexico’s lack of cooperation, and Congress’s failure to act.”
“If you’re coming from Central America and you’re claiming asylum, you really ought to be claiming that in the first safe country and that is Mexico. [Mexico] completely rejected that. Hopefully this move by President Trump will bring them to their senses and they’ll cooperate with us by enacting something like that.”
“Tariffs are taxes on American consumers, so I’m always concerned but understand how President Trump is trying to use this as leverage. And Sandra, the situation is completely out of control. In just the first eight months of this fiscal year, 400,000 individuals have crossed the border illegally and been apprehended coming in as either an unaccompanied child or as a member of a family. If we continue at May’s pace it will be 800,000 before the end of the year, fiscal year 2019. That compares to 120,000 people in 2014 when President Obama declared a humanitarian crisis.”
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