President Donald Trump announced Monday that he will impose a new tariff on Venezuela, penalizing countries that buy energy from the socialist nation over its alleged program of intentionally sending criminals into the United States.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that the new “Secondary Tariff” will come in the form of a 25 percent fee on imports from any country that also purchases oil or gas from Venezuelan sources.
The move comes “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,” Trump said in the post.
“Among the gangs they sent to the United States, is Tren de Aragua, which has been given the designation of ‘Foreign Terrorist Organization.’ We are in the process of returning them to Venezuela — It is a big task!” he continued.
“In addition, Venezuela has been very hostile to the United States and the Freedoms which we espouse,” Trump warned.
The tariffs will be effective on April 2, which Trump called “LIBERATION DAY IN AMERICA.”
Trump has revealed that he will announce a number of reciprocal tariffs that day, according to a report from CNN.
That means he will match the tariff rates many countries already impose on the United States.
CNN reported that markets traded higher on Monday, despite the Venezuela announcement.
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The Trump administration has considered pausing a license allowing Chevron to drill for oil in the South American nation, but the Treasury Department extended the deadline from April 3 to May 27 after Trump met with Chevron CEO Mike Wirth and other industry leaders last week.
CNN added that China is more heavily reliant on Venezuelan oil than any other country, meaning the latest threat of new American tariffs would harm China on top of other tariffs already imposed by Trump on the nation.
Venezuela shipped 351,000 barrels of oil per day to China last year, followed by 228,000 barrels per day to the United States.
The latest tariff threat also occurs after the Trump administration resumed flights of suspected Venezuelan gang members back to the country.
The flights were paused for several weeks as American and Venezuelan officials disagreed over the program, but a plane with nearly 200 illegal aliens landed Sunday in Venezuela.
That plane included members of the violent Tren de Aragua gang, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
There have now been roughly 350 illegal aliens deported to Venezuela.
“We have agreed with the U.S. government to resume the repatriation of Venezuelan migrants with an initial flight tomorrow, Sunday,” Jorge Rodríguez, president of Venezuela’s Assembly and Maduro’s chief negotiator with the Trump administration, said ahead of the latest flight.
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