Following President-elect Donald Trump’s threat of tariffs against Mexico and Canada due to migrant and drug flows into the U.S., Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum asserted that Canada lacks Mexico’s rich cultural heritage.
Sheinbaum’s comment followed a Friday dinner meeting between and Trump at Mar-a-Lago, where border security concerns were discussed, according to Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s ambassador to Washington.
Hillman stated on Sunday that the significant difference between the Canadian and Mexican borders was acknowledged during the meeting.
Sheinbaum subsequently told the AP that Mexico deserves respect from its trading partners, highlighting Canada’s fentanyl problem and suggesting Canada envies Mexico’s cultural wealth.
The AP reported that U.S. customs agents seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border last fiscal year, compared to 21,100 pounds at the Mexican border.
Regarding immigration, U.S. Border Patrol made 56,530 arrests at the Mexican border in October, while only 23,721 arrests were made at the Canadian border between October 2023 and September 2024. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported 1.53 million migrant encounters at the southwest border with Mexico during the same period.
“As everyone is aware, thousands of people are pouring through Mexico and Canada, bringing Crime and Drugs at levels never seen before,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
“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!” Trump added.
Sheinbaum also informed the AP that during her conversation with Trump, he expressed support for Mexico’s focus on intelligence sharing for anti-drug efforts.
However, she emphasized Mexico’s rejection of direct U.S. intervention and its continued enforcement of strict limitations on U.S. law enforcement agencies operating within Mexico, a policy maintained from her predecessor’s administration.
“That is going to be maintained,” she said.