White House softens tone after threat to close border with Mexico

President Donald Trump tooka step back onTuesday from a threat to close the U.S. southernborder to fight illegal immigration, amid pressure fromcompanies worried that such a shutdown would cause chaos tosupply chains.

Trump had threatened on Friday to close the border this weekunless Mexico acted. He repeated that threat on Tuesday but saidhe had not made a decision yet: "We're going to see what happensover the next few days."

Closing the border could disrupt millions of legal crossingsand billions of dollars in trade. Auto companies have beenwarning the White House privately in recent days that it wouldlead to the idling of U.S. auto plants within days because theyrely on prompt deliveries of components made in Mexico.

"Mexico, as you know, as of yesterday has been starting toapprehend a lot of people at their southern border coming infrom Honduras and Guatemala and El Salvador, and they're reallyapprehending thousands of people," Trump told reporters.

On Monday, the Mexican government said it would helpregulate the flow of Central American migrants passing throughits country. It is unclear if there has been a rise inapprehensions.

"They say they're going to stop them. Let's see. They havethe power to stop them, they have the laws to stop them," Trumpsaid.

Dozens of U.S. auto parts plants could close

Trump has made fighting illegal immigration from Mexico andCentral America a key part of his agenda but shutting down oneof the world's most used borders might be a step too far, evenfor many of his fellow Republicans.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell joined Democrats inwarning Trump against such a move.

"Closing down the border would have potentially catastrophiceconomic impact on our country, and I would hope we would not bedoing that sort of thing," the Republican told reporters at Congresson Tuesday.

A group representing General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV said in astatement that "any action that stops commerce at the borderwould be harmful to the U.S. economy, and in particular, theauto industry."

Dozens of U.S. vehicle, engine, transmission and other autoparts plants could close because of a lack of components in thedays and weeks after a border shutdown. It would also preventthousands of vehicles built in Mexico from landing in U.S.dealer showrooms.

Automakers exported nearly 2.6 million Mexican-made vehiclesto the United States in 2018, accounting for 15 per cent of allvehicles sold in the U.S. Some, like the ChevroletBlazer SUV, are only made in Mexico.

'The system is on fire'

Senior U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officialssaid Tuesday a redeployment of some 750 officers on theborder to deal with a surge in migrants mostly CentralAmerican families turning themselves into border agents hadled to a slowing of legal crossings and commerce at ports ofentry.

"Wait times in Brownsville[Texas]were around 180 minutes,which were two times the peaks of last year," said a senior DHSofficial on a call with reporters. "We ended the day yesterdayat Otay Mesa [California]with a backup of 150 trucks thathadn't been processed," the official said. "This is a reality."

DHS officials said on the call that border facilities havebeen overwhelmed by families who cannot be deported quicklybecause they hope to seek asylum in the U.S.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection estimated that some100,000 migrants would be apprehended or encountered at theborder in March, the highest level in a decade.

"The system ison fire," a DHS official said.

Because of limits on how long children are legally allowedto be held in detention, many of the families are released toawait their U.S. immigration court hearings, a process that cantake years because of ballooning backlogs.

To try to address the problem, the administration in lateJanuary started returning some migrants to Mexico to wait outtheir U.S. court dates in Mexican border cities.

On Monday, DHSsaid it would dramatically ramp up the pace of that program,even as it is being challenged in court and immigrationattorneys have raised concerns about how the process is beingimplemented.