WASHINGTON, Nov. 12, 2026 — President Donald Trump threatened Thursday to double tariffs on Mexican imports unless Mexico stops a caravan of migrants traveling north following the Democratic Party’s sweeping victories in last week’s U.S. midterm elections.
The group, estimated at approximately 1,500 people by authorities in the Mexican state of Chiapas, began its journey Tuesday from Tapachula, near the Guatemalan border. Many are from Central America, including families traveling with young children.
Fox News reported that the caravan could include nearly 2,000 people from Central and South America. The figures vary between reports, and the group’s exact size has not been independently established.
Trump responded with a warning on Truth Social, demanding that Mexican authorities stop the migrants before they reach the United States.
“Here we go again!” Trump wrote, declaring that the migrants would not be admitted and threatening to immediately double tariffs on Mexico if its government failed to intervene.
The president did not announce that the higher tariffs had taken effect.
Migrants Hope Election Results Will Bring Change
The caravan began moving north shortly after Democrats secured control of Congress in the November 3 midterm elections.
Some migrants told Reuters that the election results had renewed their hopes of reaching the United States, where they hope to find work and build more stable lives.
However, Democratic victories in Congress do not automatically change U.S. immigration laws or border enforcement policies. Trump remains president, and his administration continues to control federal immigration enforcement.
Many migrants have spent months in southern Mexico, where limited employment opportunities, housing difficulties, and uncertainty about their legal status have complicated their efforts to settle or continue traveling.
According to reporting from Reuters, representatives of the group indicated that Mexico City was an initial destination, where migrants planned to seek assistance from authorities.
Mexico Responds to Trump’s Warning
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected the suggestion that large migrant caravans were reaching the U.S. border.
Speaking Thursday, Sheinbaum said no migrant caravan had reached the American border since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.
She also reported that a separate group of approximately 600 migrants in Chiapas had largely dispersed after receiving information about the difficulties of entering the United States.
Mexican authorities are working to encourage migrants to return voluntarily to their countries of origin, she said, while rejecting the use of force against them.
Her comments highlighted the difference between Washington’s warnings about approaching migrants and Mexico’s assessment of the situation on the ground.
Tariff Threat Comes During Trade Negotiations
Trump’s warning introduces another source of tension into an already complicated trade relationship between the United States and Mexico.
The two countries are negotiating tariffs and reviewing their trade arrangements under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
Mexico has been seeking relief from existing American duties affecting goods outside the trade agreement, as well as products such as steel, aluminum, and commercial trucks.
A decision to double tariffs could increase costs for American businesses that rely on Mexican imports and potentially raise prices for consumers.
Trump has previously used tariff threats to pressure Mexico over immigration and border security.
For now, the announcement remains a warning rather than an implemented trade measure.
The migrant caravan is still in Mexico, and there has been no confirmation that the group has reached the U.S. southern border.
Sources: Reuters, November 11–12, 2026; Associated Press, November 12, 2026; Fox News, November 12, 2026; President Donald Trump’s Truth Social statement.
By NJ RADAR Team