Ever the optimist, I was stunned to see President Trump follow through with his promised tariffs on Mexican products. This is a disastrous and unnecessary move that will have serious long-term consequences for both countries.
First, Trump’s major issue has been the alleged lack of control over the Mexican border. Winning the PR battle over the Biden administration helped him win the election but the reality was that by late 2024 Biden had largely curtailed the flow of illegal migrants via his deal with Mexico’s previous president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador(AMLO) to largely shut down Mexico’s southern border; his tightening of the right to asylum; his arrest of a number of high level Mexico cartel members; and the fact that he deported more illegal migrants in 2024 than Trump did in any of the four years of his previous presidency.
In effect, he “set the table” for Trump who made further progress with his repeal of the catch and release policy.
The overall result is the lowest level of attempted border crossings in a decade. Why not, therefore, declare a Trump victory and move on? Why go to the unnecessary cost of sending more US troops to the border, instead of reopening an asylum system for those who have followed the law?
Second, Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum who has only been in office since October 1, 2024, has taken a different tack than her predecessor, AMLO whose motto was “hugs not bullets.” This is not surprising given her record as Mayor of Mexico City (2018-2023) when she cut the murder rate in half there.
In December, she confiscated a record number of fentanyl doses. On February 25, she ordered the extradition of 29 high level cartel leaders to the US. She also ordered 10,000 additional Mexican troops to the border. Why punish someone who is trying to work with you?
Third, Sheinbaum has reminded us of our responsibility in this cartel-drug issue. For starters, we must better control the massive movement of weapons to Mexico. On January 31 when I crossed the border at the Santa Teresa port of entry, I was asked about weapons by two US agents and assumed that our president had taken her advice. However, when we crossed again on February 24 and 25, there was no checking for weapons and the agents we talked to knew nothing about such a policy.
She will probably lose the lawsuit against US gun manufacturers, but the fact remains that we’re largely responsible for the enormous firepower these cartels have and, at little cost, we can change this.
Sheinbaum has also pointed out that we Americans are the ravenous consumers of drugs. Although we spend billions on mental health programs, I see little effort to reduce the demand for drugs, especially among young Americans. Shouldn’t that be a national priority?
Fourth, the tariffs will hurt US consumers. How does this make sense for a president who ran on a platform of improving the economy for all Americans?
Fifth, our three countries – the US, Mexico and Canada - have the opportunity to become an increasingly powerful economic bloc, far outpacing our major rival, China. How could we do this? By convincing the many American companies that have invested in China to shift those investments back to one of our three countries, most likely Mexico. How can we possibly take advantage of this opportunity when we’re in the midst of a trade war?
Sixth, Mexico is our biggest trading partner and Canada is number two, totaling about $670 billion a year in goods, twice China’s total. in the short term we have to protect this flow of goods.
Last, a more abstract concern. Trust and reliability. There always comes a time when you need a favor, when you need to reach out to someone who trusts you. If the long-term goal is a fair and effective border control system, we need a relationship with Mexico that includes trust and reliability.
Editor’s Note: The above guest column was penned by New Mexico-based writer Morgan Smith, who travels to the border at least once a month to document conditions there and assist several humanitarian organizations. He can be reached at Morgan-smith@comcast.net.
