Trump Claims Tariff Threats Force Countries to Accept Deportees

President Donald Trump declared that threatening countries with tariffs has forced them to accept deported migrants, speaking at his second Rose Garden Club dinner honoring Police Week at the White House on May 12. Trump said that when nations refused to take back their citizens, he would threaten to impose a 25% tariff, after which they would agree to accept them.

Trump touted his administration's immigration enforcement record, stating that officials have made nearly 200,000 criminal arrests nationwide and that the Department of Homeland Security has removed nearly 615,000 illegal alien criminals over the past 12 months. He claimed zero illegal aliens have been admitted through the southern border.

On fentanyl smuggling, Trump said the flow across the border is down over 60% and smuggling by sea has dropped 97%. He credited law enforcement agencies including ICE, Homeland Security, US Marshals, ATF, FBI, and state and local police for the gains, calling them "incredible patriots."