President Trump on Monday announced that Venezuela will be hit with a “secondary tariff,” arguing the country has sent migrants that are criminals and gang members into the United States.
Beginning next week, the U.S. will impose a 25 percent tariff on countries that purchase oil and gas from Venezuela, Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform, amid escalating efforts from the administration to deport Venezuelans.
“President Donald J. Trump announced today that the United States of America will be putting what is known as a Secondary Tariff on the Country of Venezuela, for numerous reasons, including the fact that Venezuela has purposefully and deceitfully sent to the United States, undercover, tens of thousands of high level, and other, criminals, many of whom are murderers and people of a very violent nature. Among the gangs they sent to the United States, is Tren de Aragua, which has been given the designation of ‘Foreign Terrorist Organization,’” Trump said.
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The president also accused Venezuela of being hostile while migrants are being removed from the U.S. He announced the secondary tariff will hit on April 2, when he is planning to impose reciprocal tariffs on multiple countries.
“We are in the process of returning them to Venezuela — It is a big task! In addition, Venezuela has been very hostile to the United States and the Freedoms which we espouse. Therefore, any Country that purchases Oil and/or Gas from Venezuela will be forced to pay a Tariff of 25% to the United States on any Trade they do with our Country. All documentation will be signed and registered, and the Tariff will take place on April 2nd, 2025, LIBERATION DAY IN AMERICA. Please let this notification serve to represent that the Department of Homeland Security, Border Patrol, and all other Law Enforcement Agencies within our Country have been so notified,” Trump added.
The Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, commonly known as TdA, has been targeted by the Trump administration in recent mass deportations. Trump last weekend invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to allow him to have sweeping powers to deport people and specifically targeted alleged TdA members.
The administration has since been in a legal battle with U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, who blocked the move, and on Monday declined to lift a restraining order barring the administration from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans
Trump has teased April 2 as a major day for implementing new tariffs, arguing for weeks that it is unfair that trading partners impose tariffs on products from the U.S. that are higher than those the U.S. imposes on their products. The White House is also considering sectoral tariffs on April 2, a White House official told The Hill, to tack onto the reciprocal tariffs.
