Mexico City, Mexico — Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo thanked Donald Trump Thursday for delaying the implementation of export tariffs. She made the public comment after a phone conversation with the U.S. president.
“Many thanks to President Donald Trump. We had an excellent and respectful call in which we agreed that our work and collaboration have yielded unprecedented results, within the framework of respect for our sovereignties.
“We will continue to work together, particularly on migration and security issues, which include reducing the illegal crossing of fentanyl into the United States, as well as weapons into Mexico.
“As mentioned by President Trump, Mexico will not be required to pay tariffs on all those products within the USMCA. This agreement is until April 2, when the United States will announce reciprocal tariffs for all countries,” she said.
During the call, Sheinbaum said she explained to Trump that in the month of February there was a 41.5 percent reduction in fentanyl seizures in the United States. President Sheinbaum said that Mexico was treated with great respect in the call with whom she agreed that our country will not be required to pay tariffs on products that are within the Treaty between Mexico, the United States and Canada (T-MEC), which will be in effect until April 2, a date on which the United States will announce reciprocal tariffs for all countries.
“Mexico was treated with great respect. And we reached this agreement that really benefits both nations: to continue collaborating, cooperating on different issues and at the same time, within the framework of respect between us, to maintain this cooperation,” he said.
She explained that during the call he showed President Trump a graph showing that the results that the Mexican government has had, particularly in February, are reflected in a 41.5 percent reduction in fentanyl seizures at the border, according to data from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
“I told him: ‘We are getting results, President Trump. Now that you have imposed the tariffs, why are we going to continue cooperating, collaborating, with something that harms the people of Mexico?’ And it was not a threat, nothing, nothing, nothing, simply: ‘Please understand that, for me, the most important thing is my people.’ And I need to continue collaborating and cooperating with you, but we need equality of circumstances,” she said.
Sheinbaum said that the decrease in fentanyl seizures is largely due to security actions that have been promoted, such as the dispatch of 10,000 National Guard members to the border between Mexico and the United States since February 3.
“If we are seizing more fentanyl in Mexico, then less fentanyl will be entering the United States, something we have been reporting every 15 days,” Sheinbaum detailed.
She also said that during the conversation they discussed the agreements that the teams of both governments reached during meetings in Washington in recent days, in which they agreed to work on reducing illegal drug trafficking from Mexico to the United States and reducing illegal arms trafficking from the United States to Mexico.
Sheinbaum stressed that it is not only an achievement of the President of Mexico, but of all Mexicans.
“I really want to say that we were treated with a lot of respect. I say ‘we were’, because yes, it is the President of Mexico, but it is the people of Mexico because I represent the people of Mexico.
Sheinbaum said that on March 9, she will hold a public meeting at the Zócalo in Mexico City where she will explain the agreement reached with President Trump.
