US President-elect Donald Trump announced via his social network TruthSocial On January 20, the day he will take office after being sworn in as official president, he will sign the necessary documents to impose a 25 percent tariff on Mexico and Canada on any of their products entering the country.
Trump threatened to take this measure, since he believes that both countries are responsible for the entry of undocumented immigrants into his country, as well as the drugs that Americans consume.
“On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25 percent Tariff on ALL goods entering the United States, and their ridiculous Open Borders. This Tariff will remain in effect until Drugs, particularly Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!” Trump tweeted on Monday.
He added that a caravan of immigrants is about to enter the country due to the "open border."
"As everyone knows, thousands of people are crossing Mexico and Canada, bringing crime and drugs at levels never seen before. Right now, a caravan from Mexico, made up of thousands of people, seems unstoppable in its attempt to cross our currently open border."
Donald Trump, who won the election on November 5, said that while both Mexico and Canada have the right to resolve the problem, he will not change the measure until the situation changes.
"Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily resolve this long-standing problem. We hereby demand that they use this power, and until they do, it is time for them to pay a very high price!", the future president explained.
In light of this, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said during her morning press conference on Tuesday that she will send a letter to Donald Trump today, in addition to seeking a meeting with his team.
He also called for dialogue and understanding, rather than threats and tariffs.
Dear President-elect Donald Trump,
I am writing to you in response to your statement on Monday, November 25, regarding migration, fentanyl trafficking and tariffs.
You are probably not aware that Mexico has developed a comprehensive policy to assist migrants from different parts of the world who cross our territory and are destined for the southern border of the United States of America. As a result, and according to figures from your country's Border Patrol and Customs (CBP), encounters at the border between Mexico and the United States have been reduced by 75 percent from December 2023 to November 2024. By the way, half of those who arrive do so through a legally granted appointment by the United States program called CBP One. For these reasons, caravans of migrants no longer arrive at the border. Even so, it is clear that we must jointly arrive at another model of labor mobility that is necessary for your country and to address the causes that lead families to leave their places of origin out of necessity. If a percentage of what the United States allocates to war is dedicated to peacebuilding and development, the mobility of people will be fundamentally addressed.
On the other hand, and for humanitarian reasons, we have always expressed Mexico's willingness to prevent the continuation of the fentanyl epidemic in the United States, which is, moreover, a problem of consumption and public health in the society of this country. So far this year, the Mexican armed forces and prosecutors have seized tons of different types of drugs, 10,340 weapons, and arrested 15,640 people for violence related to drug trafficking. A constitutional reform is in the process of being approved in the legislative branch of my country to declare the production, distribution, and marketing of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs as serious crimes without legal rights. However, it is publicly known that the chemical precursors for the manufacture of this and other synthetic drugs enter Canada, the United States, and Mexico illegally from Asian countries, for which international collaboration is urgently needed.
You should also be aware of the illegal arms trafficking that comes to my country from the United States. 70 percent of the illegal weapons seized from criminals in Mexico come from your country. We do not produce the weapons, we do not consume the synthetic drugs, and unfortunately we are responsible for the deaths caused by crime to meet the demand for drugs in your country.
President Trump, we are not going to address the migration phenomenon or drug use in the United States with threats or tariffs. These major challenges require cooperation and mutual understanding. One tariff will be followed by another in response, and so on until we put common companies at risk. Yes, common ones. For example, the main exporters to Mexico are General Motors, Estellantis, and Ford Motor Company, which arrived in Mexico 80 years ago. Why impose a tax that puts them at risk? It is not acceptable and would cause inflation and job losses for the United States and Mexico.
I am convinced that North America's economic strength lies in maintaining our commercial partnership. This way we can continue to be more competitive against other economic blocs. I believe that dialogue is the best path to understanding, peace and prosperity for our nations. I hope that our teams can meet soon.
Sincerely, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, Constitutional President of the United Mexican States?
This will be accompanied by a detailed study showing what the increase in tariffs would mean for the United States and the impact it would have on the American union, in addition to sending the Mexico Plan or Shared Prosperity Plan, which will be presented at an event on December 5.
It should be noted that if these threats are carried out, Trump would break the trade agreement between Mexico, the United States and Canada (USMCA), which he signed during his first term.
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