Trump says tariffs would be in response to illegal immigration, drugs coming into the US
President-elect Trump on Monday said he would issue an executive order upon taking office to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% tariff on all products coming into the U.S., as well as additional tariff hikes on China over the flow of illegal immigrants and illicit drugs.
In a Truth Social post, Trump, who is set to take office on Jan. 20, said thousands of people were “pouring through” Mexico and Canada “at levels never seen before.”
“Right now a Caravan coming from Mexico, composed of thousands of people, seems to be unstoppable in its quest to come through our currently Open Border,” he wrote. “On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders.”
“This Tariff will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!” he added. “Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long simmering problem.”
Dating back to his first administration, Trump has long pushed Mexico to be more proactive in preventing the flow of illegal immigrants and illicit drugs into the U.S.
“And until such time that they do, it is time for them to pay a very big price!” he said.
In a joint statement, Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister, Chrystia Freeland, and Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Canada and the U.S. have “one of the strongest and closest relationships — particularly when it comes to trade and border security.”
“Canada places the highest priority on border security and the integrity of our shared border. Our relationship today is balanced and mutually beneficial, particularly for American workers,” they said. “Today, Canada buys more from the United States than China, Japan, France, and the U.K. combined. Canada is essential to US domestic energy supply, and last year 60 percent of U.S. crude oil imports originated in Canada.”
“Law enforcement agencies from our respective countries — the RCMP, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administrations, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection — work together every single day to disrupt the scourge of the fentanyl coming from China and other countries,” they added. “In addition, the CBSA is continuously strengthening its ability to detect opioids through enhanced inspections at ports of entry, detector dogs, and emerging technologies, preventing opioids from entering and leaving Canada.”
In a subsequent post, Trump said he would institute an additional 10% tariff on all Chinese goods being imported into the U.S. over the “massive amounts” of drugs, in particular fentanyl, being smuggled into the U.S.
Trump said he has spoken with Chinese officials about fentanyl coming into the U.S., noting that the communist nation previously promised to put to death drug dealers involved in the illicit trade, but failed to follow through.
“Until such time as they stop, we will be charging China an additional 10% Tariff, above any additional Tariffs, on all of their many products coming into the United States of America,” he wrote.
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and can be fatal in small doses, has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans and is a factor in many drug overdose deaths. Many illegal drugs are laced with fentanyl to make them cheaper and more powerful. Some users don’t even know they are ingesting the substance.
U.S. officials have frequently said that illicit fentanyl is created in Mexico using Chinese precursors and is then smuggled across the border by drug cartels.
“Indeed, unknown to most Americans, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is actively funding, supporting, and pushing America’s most deadly drug threat in history,” reads a Heritage Foundation report called “Holding China and Mexico Accountable for America’s Fentanyl Crisis.”
“The combined forces of deadly Mexican drug cartels and hostile Chinese ambitions have delivered to the United States a destabilizing crisis and a death toll that each year eclipses the total of U.S. casualties from the Vietnam War.”
The report finds that chemicals are arriving through air cargo, postal facilities and maritime routes. The authors also point to reports of an increased Chinese role in networks in Canada.
