A White House trade adviser and a leading Republican senator said on Wednesday that a U.S. plan to impose tariffs on Mexican goods might not go into effect, offering hope for Mexico and American businesses concerned about economic damage from a new front in President Donald Trump¡¯s trade wars.

Adviser Peter Navarro told CNN that Trump¡¯s threatened tariffs, due to come into force next week, might not be needed because the United States now has ¡°the Mexicans¡¯ attention¡± on stemming illegal immigration.

Frustrated by the lack of progress on a signature issue from his 2016 election campaign, Trump unexpectedly told Mexico last week to take a harder line on curbing illegal immigration or face 5 percent tariffs on all its exports to the United States, rising to as much as 25 percent later in the year.