President Donald Trump on Saturday followed through on his threat to impose tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada, and China in an effort to spur those countries to do more to curb illegal immigration to the U.S. and to stop the flow of illegal drugs.
Trump announced that he was imposing 25 percent tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada, though the tariffs on Canadian energy imports will be limited to 10 percent, according to news reports. He also added an additional 10 percent tariff on imports from China.
The tariffs are slated to go into effect on Tuesday, according to the New York Times. They can be escalated if any of the countries retaliate — heightening the threat of a trade war and increasing the likelihood that prices for American consumers and businesses will rise.
In a post on his Truth Social site, the president said he made the move through the International Emergency Economic Powers Act “because of the major threat of illegal aliens and deadly drugs killing our Citizens, including fentanyl.”
“We need to protect Americans, and it is my duty as President to ensure the safety of all,” he wrote. “I made a promise on my Campaign to stop the flood of illegal aliens and drugs from pouring across our Borders, and Americans overwhelmingly voted in favor of it.”
The White House told reporters that there would be no process for companies to get special exemptions from the tariffs. The most important metrics to determine if they tariffs could be removed would be if fewer Americans die of fentanyl and if there is a reduction in the amount of drugs recovered at the border, according to the Times.
Before Trump officially announced the tariffs on Saturday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed “a forceful and immediate response” if they were imposed. Canada exports about 75 percent of its goods and services to the U.S.
Trump threatened on the campaign trail to place retaliatory tariffs on the three countries to ensure their cooperation in halting illegal immigration and combating the smuggling of precursor chemicals used to produce fentanyl. He had vowed to issue the tariffs on his first day in office, but pushed the action back to Saturday.
“These are promises made and promises kept by the president,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Friday.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office Friday, Trump said the tariffs are not a negotiating tactic, and the three countries could do nothing to prevent them from being imposed.
He also promised tariffs on the European Union, which he said “has treated us so terribly.” The EU’s 27 member states include France, Germany, Greece, Poland, and Spain.
Trump is also planning additional tariffs on semiconductor chips, pharmaceuticals, steel, aluminum, copper, oil, and gas. The oil and gas tariffs could begin February 18, the president said.
China is the primary source for fentanyl and precursor chemicals, which get trafficked directly into the U.S. mainly through Mexico.
“China makes the fentanyl, gives it to Mexico, puts it through Canada, puts it through different places, mostly Mexico, but also a lot through Canada,” Trump said. “And so all three haven’t treated us very well.”
While Trump claims Canada is equally responsible for fentanyl trafficking as Mexico, the data suggest otherwise. In fiscal year 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized 21,148 pounds of fentanyl at the Southern border, compared with only 43 pounds that Border Patrol seized at the Northern border.