Mexico City, Mexico — President Claudia Sheinbaum says she will announce her own tariff actions in response to the U.S. decision to impose fees on Mexican exports. Sheinbaum said Tuesday that she will present Mexico’s tariff and non-tariff actions Sunday from the Zócalo of Mexico City.
Her announcement was made in response to the unilateral decision of the United States Government to impose 25 percent tariffs on Mexican exports, despite the Trade Agreement that exists between both nations.
“I call on Mexicans to an Informative Assembly in the Zócalo of Mexico City Sunday at noon to share with you the actions we will undertake. Together we will face this challenge. We are proudly a free, independent and sovereign country. Together we will move forward,” she said during her Tuesday morning press conference.
“I call on the people of Mexico, on all of us, to face this challenge together. To remain united. I repeat: it is time to defend Mexico and its sovereignty. We must be vigilant and remain calm and cool-headed. Our people and our blessed nation are very strong and powerful,” she added.
He pointed out that the application of tariff and non-tariff measures is not intended to start an economic or commercial confrontation, however, she said that it is inconceivable that no one considers the damage that is being done to the economies and peoples of the two countries.
“Nobody wins from this decision, on the contrary. It affects the people we represent,” she said.
Sheinbaum said that since the beginning of her administration, the Government of Mexico has led forceful actions against organized crime and fentanyl trafficking.
“The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) figures show that fentanyl seizures in the United States from Mexico decreased by 50 percent from October 2024 to January 2025,” she detailed.
Sheinbaum pointed out that the United States government must take charge of the opioid consumption crisis that has caused so many deaths in that country, which represents a profound public health problem.
“They must also take action against criminal groups that illegally import fentanyl precursors through their ports and airports as well as against criminals that illegally produce, distribute and sell fentanyl and other drugs in their territory, poisoning their inhabitants,” he said.
She noted that according to a study by the Cato Institute in Washington, 80 percent of those arrested at U.S. ports of entry for fentanyl trafficking between 2019 and 2024 were U.S. citizens. She also noted that the U.S. Sentencing Commission reports that 81.9 percent of those prosecuted for drug trafficking are U.S. citizens.
Sheinbaum recalled that the United States Department of Justice acknowledged on January 8 that 74 percent of high-powered weapons seized in Mexico come illegally from the United States.
“I want to make it clear that we will always seek a negotiated solution as we have proposed within the framework of respect for our sovereignty. But the unilateral decision taken by the United States affects national and foreign companies operating in our country and affects our people.
“We are emphatic. There is no motive, reason or justification that supports this decision that will affect our peoples and nations. We have said it in different ways. Cooperation and coordination, yes. Subordination and interventionism, no. Mexico must be respected. We are equal nations,” she added.
She said the Mexican government will continue to seek talks with the United States to find an alternative based on arguments and rationality.
