Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum sent President-elect Donald Trump a fiery letter in response to his tariff threats where she warned Mexico would retaliate with its own tariffs but signaled she would like the two countries to work together.
The letter dated November 26 was sent one day after Trump threatened in a social media post to sign an executive order on his first day in office to impose 25 percent tariffs on all products from Mexico.
The president-elect claimed the tariffs would remain in place until Mexico took steps to stop illegal border crossings and drugs such as fentanyl from entering the U.S.
But Sheinbaum called Trump out in a blistering response where she outlined how Mexico is addressing migration and touted U.S. data to emphasize the claim Trump used to make his tariff threat was wrong.
‘You may not be aware that Mexico has developed a comprehensive policy to assist migrants from different parts of the world who cross our territory en route to the southern border of the United States,’ Sheinbaum wrote, according to a translation of her letter.
She pointed out that the steps Mexico has taken has resulted in a 75 percent decrease in encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border from December 2023 to November 2024, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
She also stated that half of those who arrive do so through a scheduled appointment with the U.S. CBP One program.
‘For these reasons, migrant caravans no longer arrive at the border,’ Sheinbaum wrote.
Sheinbaum argued the U.S. and Mexico must still worth together to ‘create a new labor mobility model that is necessary for your country, as well as address the root causes that compel families to leave their homes out of necessity.’
‘If even a small percentage of what the United States allocates to war were instead dedicated to building peace and fostering development, it would address the underlying causes of human mobility,’ Sheinbaum went on.
Sheinbaum also addressed the fentanyl crisis wreaking havoc in the U.S. as drugs are brought across the border from Mexico. She said her country’s actions were for humanitarian reasons.
‘Mexico has consistently expressed its willingness to help prevent the fentanyl epidemic in the United States from continuing. This is, after all, a public health and consumption problem within your society,’ she wrote.
Sheinbaum claimed Mexican armed forces and prosecutors have seized drugs, more than 10,000 firearms and detained more than 15,600 people for violence related to drug trafficking.
She pointed out the Mexican Congress is working to make a constitutional reform that would classify the production, distribution, and commercialization of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs as a serious crime without bail.
Sheinbaum said the chemicals used to produce the drugs are illegally entering Mexico, Canada and the U.S. from Asia and argued there is an ‘urgent need’ for international collaboration.
That is when Sheinbaum turned the issue back on the U.S. as she highlighted another component of the issue which is the illegal trafficking of firearms from the U.S. into Mexico.
‘Seventy percent of the illegal weapons seized from criminals in Mexico come from your country,’ she wrote.
‘We do not produce these weapons, nor do we consume synthetic drugs,’ she continued.
‘Tragically, it is in our country that lives are lost to the violence resulting from meeting the drug demand in yours,’ she said.
Sheinbaum said the issues of migration and drug consumption in the U.S. cannot be addressed through treats or tariffs. She said instead there is a need for cooperation and mutual understanding.
‘For every tariff, there will be a response in kind, until we put at risk our shared enterprises. Yes shared,’ she warned.
‘For instance, among Mexico’s main exporters to the United States are General Motors, Stellantis, and Ford Motor Company, which arrived in Mexico 80 years ago. Why impose a tariff that would jeopardize them?’ she explained.
Sheinbaum said tariffs would be unacceptable and would lead to inflation and job losses for both countries. She argued North America’s economic strength lies in maintaining the trade partnership which allows them to ‘remain competitive against other economic blocs.
‘For this reason, I believe that dialogue is the best path to understanding, peace, and prosperity for our nations. I hope our teams can meet soon to continue building joint solutions,’ she concluded.
Trump also targeted Canada in his 25 percent tariff threat.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was reportedly quick to respond to the president-elect, calling him in Florida just two hours after the post.
Canada also put out a statement highlighting the two countries’ close trade ties as the U.S. receives much of its energy supply including 60 percent of its crude oil from Canada last year.
Trump in a separate post threatened China as well with 10 percent additional tariffs on top of other tariffs on Monday.
As world leaders respond to the tariff threats, Trump transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt provided DailyMail.com a statement.
‘In his first term, President Trump instituted tariffs against China that created jobs, spurred investment, and resulted in no inflation. President Trump will work quickly to fix and restore an economy that puts American workers by re-shoring American jobs, lowering inflation, raising real wages, lowering taxes, cutting regulations, and unshackling American energy,’ she said.
While tariffs can be used to protect and promote domestic production, experts have warned Trump’s proposed tariffs could lead to higher prices for consumers and inflation as the costs of tariffs are passed down.
ING estimated Trump’s threatened tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China would lead to as much as $810 in additional costs for every American annually.
Combined with the president-elect’s previous tariff proposals, Trump policies could add up to cost Americans an additional roughly $3,200 a year.
