As a caravan of up to 4,000 Honduran nationals make their way up through Mexico towards the United States, President Trump has threatened a full military closure of America’s southern border.

Immigration has been a major political and societal issue this year, and Trump is still working towards making good on his promise to curb the flow of illegal migrants into the country. Trump has associated traffic through the Southern border with crime and a loss of economic opportunity for U.S. citizens.

Thursday Tweet Comes with a Stern Warning to Mexico

In a Tweet posted on Thursday morning, President Trump was direct in his threat. He told followers “I must, in the strongest of terms, ask Mexico to stop this onslaught – and if unable to do so I will call up the U.S. Military and CLOSE OUR SOUTHERN BORDER!”

Trump continued in his warning, even indicating that Mexico’s failure to stop the flow of Migrants could have an impact on recently penned trade agreements. He said that “The assault on our country at our Southern Border, including the Criminal elements and DRUGS pouring in, is far more important to me, as President, than Trade or the USMCA [United States Mexico Canada Agreement]. Hopefully Mexico will stop this onslaught at their Northern Border. All Democrats fault for weak laws!”

The last part of Trump’s post is particularly striking. It reiterates the fact that several laws relating to immigration have been blocked in Congress by Democrat senators. Trump pointed to this fact in an earlier Tweet, saying “Democrats won’t approve legislation that will allow laws for the protection of our country. Great Midterm issue for Republicans!”

Mexico Takes Action After President Trump Tweet

President Trump has at times been criticized for his frequent use of Twitter. Regardless of opinions on the way the President prefers to communicate, it appears that the Mexican government has taken note of Trump’s latest threat.

Reports are emerging that Mexican Federal Police have been dispatched with full riot gear to intercept the caravan of Honduran migrants noted by Trump in earlier Tweets. If the government can prevent the migrants passing through their own country, then it could go a long way towards improving relations between Mexico and the United States.

Regardless of the outcome, this again illustrates the severity of the migrant problem.

Do you think President Trump should stick to established channels when speaking on matters of diplomatic importance and national security, or is his transparent and sometimes brash approach the best way to compel people or even foreign governments to act?