Former U.S. ambassador to El Salvador Ronald Johnson has been tapped by President-elect Trump to serve as ambassador to Mexico in his upcoming administration.
Like many of his picks, Trump announced the news on his Truth Social network.
"Ron will work closely with our great Secretary of State Nominee, Marco Rubio, to promote our Nation’s security and prosperity through strong America First Foreign Policies," he wrote.
"During my First Term, Ron served as the Ambassador to El Salvador, where he worked tirelessly with Salvadoran authorities and our team to reduce violent crime and illegal migration to the lowest levels in History," he added.
Johnson, a former official with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and U.S. Army Green Beret, would serve in one of the high-profile diplomatic posts in the Trump administration.
Trump has threatened to impose steep tariffs on Mexico if it doesn't do more to prevent the flow of illegal immigrants and illegal drugs across the southern border. He's also threatened to impose tariffs on Canada and China as well.
In his announcement, Trump said Johnson would help put an end to "migrant crime, stop the illegal flow of Fentanyl and other dangerous drugs into our Country and, MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN!"
This comes three years after the tragic accident that occurred in Chiapas, Mexico, which killed and maimed scores of migrants, including children.
Four of the Guatemalan nationals – Tomas Quino Canil, 36; Alberto Marcario Chitic, 31; Oswaldo Manuel Zavala Quino, 24; and Josefa Quino Canil De Zavala, 42 – were arrested by Guatemalan law enforcement and surrendered to U.S. authorities.
Another smuggler – Jorge Agapito Ventura, 32 – was taken into custody by U.S. law enforcement at his home in Cleveland, Texas. The name of the sixth smuggler was blacked out in court documents from the federal court in Texas.
According to Guatemalan Interior Minister Francisco Jiménez, the smugglers are part of a Guatemalan criminal group called "Los Quinos." All six were indicted in connection with the crash in a federal court for the Southern District of Texas.
According to the indictment, all six smugglers conspired between October 2021 and February 2023 to facilitate the travel of migrants from Guatemala through Mexico with the United States as the intended destination.
The indictment alleges that the smugglers recruited Guatemalan migrants to enter the U.S. illegally, collected payments from them and even distributed written scripts to migrant children on what to say if apprehended by U.S. immigration authorities.
During the journey, the smugglers moved the migrants on foot and on buses, cattle trucks and trailers.
On Dec. 9, 2021, migrants being transported by the smugglers in a trailer crashed into a steel pedestrian bridge near a small town called Tuxtla Gutierrez, resulting in more than 50 deaths.
Rescue workers discovered the crash with migrants inside the cargo trailer tossed and crushed in a pile of both the living and the dead. The trailer had been loaded with around 200 migrants.
In a statement released this week, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said: "Human smugglers should heed these charges and arrests as a warning: you will be held accountable for your deadly crimes."
"The Justice Department is holding accountable the individuals who we allege preyed on vulnerable migrants and are responsible for this heinous crime that resulted in the deaths of over 50 people and injured over 100 more," said Garland. "We will continue to work across agencies and across borders to stop the scourge of human smuggling."
U.S. Attorney Alamdar Hamdani for the Southern District of Texas said that "while this crash transpired beyond our borders, it is imperative that the pursuit of justice transcends those boundaries."
"Today, we reiterate our commitment to ensuring that those allegedly responsible for exploiting the vulnerabilities of families seeking refuge and opportunity face the full force of the law," said Hamdani.
The six are being charged with conspiracy to bring undocumented aliens to the United States, placing life in jeopardy, causing serious bodily injuries and causing death. The penalties for these crimes include death or imprisonment up to life.
FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, along with other Republican congressional members, filed an amicus brief in support of U.S. gun manufacturers, urging the Supreme Court "to uphold American sovereignty and the Second Amendment."
The case, Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos, stems from a lawsuit filed in 2021 by the Mexican government, in which the government alleged U.S. gun manufacturers, like Smith & Wesson, Ruger and others, should be liable for gun violence carried out by cartels south of the border, because the companies were allegedly aware their firearms were being trafficked into the country.
"I am leading this amicus brief to uphold American sovereignty and our Second Amendment. The lawsuit filed by Mexico seeks to trample on our Constitution," Cruz told Fox News Digital. "I look forward to the Supreme Court ending this madness, putting an end to Mexico’s assault on our Second Amendment, and sending a clear message that American sovereignty will not be eroded by any country."
Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.; Mike Braun, R-Ind.; Bill Cassidy, R-La.; John Cornyn, R-Texas; and Rick Scott, R-Fla., are just several Senate members joining Cruz in filing the brief. Reps. Darrell Issa, R-Calif.; Clay Higgins, R-La.; Pete Sessions, R-Texas; and Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., have also joined Cruz's brief.
"I joined Senator Cruz and my House GOP colleagues in this case because it was the right thing to do and the only choice to make," Issa said in a statement. "This lawsuit has unified our friends and allies almost as never before, including from the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the Firearms Regulatory Accountability Coalition, and now the Supreme Court will listen to our petitions to hear this case."
"This is a landmark legal question and weighs whether to allow foreign governments to violate American sovereignty, bankrupt our firearms industry with lawfare, and undermine our Second Amendment rights. Today, we reaffirm our commitment to our constitutional freedoms. Our cause will prevail," Issa continued.
The filing slams the lawsuit as a whole, calling it "an attempt to co-opt the power of the federal judiciary to both circumvent the role of Congress and usurp the role of the Executive." The filing continues on to say that the suit disregards the "respective roles" assigned by the Constitution to the federal branches and thus proves to be "an affront" to American sovereignty.
The brief also says that the right to bear arms under the Second Amendment is "fundamental to our scheme of ordered liberty," quoting a separate Supreme Court case. Via the present lawsuit, the brief says Mexico is attempting to impose "massive costs and injunctive relief" against American gun manufacturers, something "no public body in the United States could do via legislation or regulation."
More than two dozen top Republican prosecutors had previously urged the Court to take up the case in May of this year. That amicus brief, filed by Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen along with other GOP colleagues, urged the high court to hear the case in order to stop "a foreign sovereign’s use of American courts to effectively limit the rights of American citizens."
Mexico's lawsuit was initially dismissed by a Massachusetts federal judge, but Mexico successfully appealed its case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, with the support of California and other Democrat-led states.
The high court set oral arguments for the case for February.
President-elect Trump said he spoke with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, saying she has agreed to "stop Migration through Mexico, and into the United States" following threats this week to significantly tariff goods from coming into the U.S. from its southern neighbor.
Trump vowed to impose 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada if both nations failed to do more to stop the flow of illegal immigrants and drugs into the U.S. Sheinbaum, who recently took office, said on Wednesday that Mexico would retaliate if Trump followed through on his promise.
"If there are U.S. tariffs, Mexico would also raise tariffs," she said during a press conference.
On Wednesday, Trump said he spoke with his Sheinbaum about the matter.
"Just had a wonderful conversation with the new President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo," he wrote on Truth Social. "She has agreed to stop Migration through Mexico, and into the United States, effectively closing our Southern Border. We also talked about what can be done to stop the massive drug inflow into the United States, and also, U.S. consumption of these drugs. It was a very productive conversation!"
In a subsequent post, he said that: "Mexico will stop people from going to our Southern Border, effective immediately. THIS WILL GO A LONG WAY TOWARD STOPPING THE ILLEGAL INVASION OF THE USA. Thank you!!!"
In a post on X, Sheinbaum said she spoke with Trump by phone and that the two discussed "strengthening collaboration on security issues" and that the conversation was "excellent," Reuters reported.
Trump has long complained that Mexico has failed to do enough to stop the flow of migrants and illicit drugs on its side of the southern border.
In a post on X, Sheinbaum said she explained the "comprehensive strategy" Mexico has employed to address the "the migration phenomenon, respecting human rights."
"Thanks to this, migrants and caravans are assisted before they reach the border," she wrote. "We reiterate that Mexico's position is not to close borders but to build bridges between governments and between peoples."
Trump also threatened to impose an additional 10% tariff on China over the massive amounts of fentanyl coming into the U.S. from Mexico.
U.S. officials have frequently said that illicit fentanyl is manufactured in Mexico using Chinese precursors and then smuggled across the border by drug cartels.
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and can be fatal in small doses, has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans and is a factor in many drug overdose deaths.
On Wednesday, Trump said he would be working on a large-scale ad campaign explaining the dangers of fentanyl.
"Millions of lives being so needlessly destroyed. By the time the Campaign is over, everyone will know how really bad the horror of this Drug is," he said.
In response to the threat of more tariffs, the China Daily newspaper – which is run by the Chinese Communist Party – published an editorial Tuesday saying, "The excuse the president-elect has given to justify his threat of additional tariffs on imports from China is far-fetched," according to Reuters.
Fox News Digital's Greg Norman contributed to this report.
A Texas Democrat believes President-elect Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on Mexico will get the country to come to the table "so we can solve the problem about immigration and fentanyl."
Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas’ 28th Congressional District – which borders Mexico in the southern part of the state – made the comment Tuesday during an interview on NewsNation.
"If it means a 25 percent tariff to potentially fix the border, would you favor that?" Cuellar was asked.
"Well, let me put it this way: Laredo’s the largest port; we handle 40 percent of all the trade between the U.S. and Mexico. I know this is a way to negotiate, get some leverage. I know that Mexico will come to the table," he responded.
"But nobody wants a 25 percent tariff on them, and the Mexicans are threatening to do the same thing, and we don’t want to get into that," Cuellar added. "But I think this will definitely get Mexico to the table so we can solve the problem about immigration and fentanyl."
Trump has vowed to impose tariffs on Mexico when he returns to the White House in January.
"As everyone is aware, thousands of people are pouring through Mexico and Canada, bringing Crime and Drugs at levels never seen before," Trump wrote Monday on Truth Social. "Right now a Caravan coming from Mexico, composed of thousands of people, seems to be unstoppable in its quest to come through our currently Open Border."
"On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders. This Tariff will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!" Trump continued.
"Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long simmering problem," he declared. "We hereby demand that they use this power, and until such time that they do, it is time for them to pay a very big price!"
A source told Reuters that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had a "good discussion" with Trump regarding trade and border security following that Truth Social post.
Trump also said Monday, "I have had many talks with China about the massive amounts of drugs, in particular Fentanyl, being sent into the United States – But to no avail."
"Until such time as they stop, we will be charging China an additional 10% Tariff, above any additional Tariffs, on all of their many products coming into the United States of America," he added.
In response to that, the China Daily newspaper – which is run by the Chinese Communist Party – published an editorial Tuesday saying, "The excuse the president-elect has given to justify his threat of additional tariffs on imports from China is far-fetched," according to Reuters.
The editorial added: "There are no winners in tariff wars. If the U.S. continues to politicize economic and trade issues by weaponizing tariffs, it will leave no party unscathed,"
Around 1,500 migrants have formed a caravan in southern Mexico and hope to make it to the U.S. before President-elect Trump takes office in January, when he is expected to clamp down heavily on illegal crossings which have soared under the Biden-Harris administration.
The caravan, made up of men, women and young children mostly from Central and South America, on Wednesday traveled through the city of Tapachula, located in southern Mexico, just over the border from Guatemala where thousands of migrants are stranded because they do not have permission to cross further into Mexico.
The most southern point of the U.S. border is at the crossing at Matamoros, near Brownsville, Texas, and it would take a desperate adult migrant about 16 days of non-stop walking to get there. It is unclear exactly where members of this particular caravan they intend to cross.
Migrants for caravans because they believe there is safety in numbers as it is hard or impossible for immigration agents to detain large groups of hundreds of migrants.
Some are hoping to catch rides to help them on their journey, while others will make the arduous trip to the southern border by foot in the searing heat.
"It is going to be more difficult, that’s why we are going in hopes of getting an appointment quicker so we are able to cross before he (Trump) takes office," Yotzeli Peña, 23, a migrant from Venezuela tells the Associated Press. "That would be easier."
Trump has promised to seal the southern border due to the unprecedented flow of migrants into the U.S. over the last three and a half years.
He has also vowed to carry out the largest deportation operation in the history of the U.S. and has appointed hardliner South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to serve as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) while Tom Homan will be the new "Border Czar."
Additionally, he has also pledged to end the use of parole programs by the Biden administration that allow migrants to enter in via the expanded "lawful pathways."
Numbers have been dropping sharply at the border since June, when President Biden signed a presidential proclamation drastically limiting the number of arrivals who can come into the U.S.
In September, there were 101,790 encounters at the border, the lowest number since February 2021, and there have been no major signs of a significant increase in numbers since then.
However, while numbers remain lower than in previous months, there have been concerns that the change in administrations may lead to a surge at the border as migrants attempt to enter the U.S. before a perceived tougher administration enters office.
This year, in a bid to stop people from gathering at the U.S. southern border to claim asylum, the federal government expanded areas where migrants can apply via the CBP One cellphone app for appointments to enter the United States.
Initially, the app was only available to migrants in northern and central Mexico, but officials changed it to include those at the southern border.
By extending the app south to Tapachula, officials hoped it would stem the rush north. But some migrants still want to be close to the border so that if they do get one of the cherished appointments, they can get to it quickly and not risk missing it.
"They’re determined to make it into the U.S., one way or the other, because they’ve sold everything, they have nothing to go back to," independent journalist Auden Cabello, who extensively covered the border crisis, told Fox News Digital last week.
Fox News’ Adam Shaw, Michael Lee and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
