President Donald Trump has imposed sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China, citing national security concerns related to illegal immigration and the flow of deadly drugs like fentanyl into the United States.
The order, signed on Saturday, enacts an additional 25 percent tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada, with a 10 percent tariff on Chinese goods. The lone exception is Canadian energy exports, which will be subject to a 10 percent tariff instead. A White House official confirmed that the tariffs would take effect at 12:01 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
According to a White House document outlining the decision, the move is justified under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) due to “the extraordinary threat posed by illegal aliens and drugs, including deadly fentanyl.” The tariffs will remain in place “until the crisis is alleviated.”
“President Trump is taking bold action to hold Mexico, Canada, and China accountable to their promises of halting illegal immigration and stopping poisonous fentanyl and other drugs from flowing into our country,” the White House document shared with reporters noted.
The order grants Trump authority to expand the scope of the tariffs in the event of retaliation from any of the affected countries. The administration has singled out Chinese authorities for failing to curb the export of fentanyl precursor chemicals to criminal cartels and cracking down on money laundering by transnational crime organizations.
The White House statement also accused the Mexican government of providing “safe havens” for drug cartels, which it claims has contributed to the overdose deaths of “hundreds of thousands of American victims.” Additionally, it noted an increasing presence of Mexican cartel-run fentanyl and nitazene synthesis labs in Canada.
Authorities in Canada reportedly seized enough fentanyl in 2024 to kill nearly 10 million Americans. Trump, unwavering in his decision, declared on Friday that nothing would dissuade him from signing the tariffs, citing the ongoing fentanyl crisis and trade imbalances with all three nations.
