Fact Check: Mexican President Did Not Announce "She Is Stopping The Migrant Caravans From Arriving At The U.S. Southern Border After Trump's Tariff Threat."
Mexico's actions to stop migrant caravans predate Trump's tariff threats by nearly a year. Mexico's actual response was a threat of retaliatory tariffs.
Claim:
“Mexican president announces she is stopping the migrant caravans from arriving at the U.S. southern border after Trump's tariff threat. The announcement came only 12 hours later.”
Rating:
False. Claudia Sheinbaum stated the stopping of migrant caravans was from Mexico’s “comprehensive policy” and the United States’s CBP One program. The “comprehensive policy” mentioned began in December 2023, and requests for appointments via CBP One began on January 12, 2023. Both items predate Trump’s tariff threats on November 25, 2024. Mexico's actual response to Trump’s tariff threat was its own threat of retaliatory tariffs.
An 𝕏 post (archived) shared this claim on November 26, 2024.
Another 𝕏 post claimed (archived), “Within hours of President Trump announcing a 25% tariff on goods from Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum declares that no migrant caravans will reach the US Border. President Trump has promised to keep the tariffs in place "until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!" Trump effect on full display.”
Context:
Trump’s Tariff Threat
Donald Trump announced tariff threats on November 25, 2024. (Archived).
Trump’s threat (Archived) read, “As everyone is aware, thousands of people are pouring through Mexico and Canada, bringing Crime and Drugs at levels never seen before. Right now a Caravan coming from Mexico, composed of thousands of people, seems to be unstoppable in its quest to come through our currently Open Border. 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! Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long simmering problem. We hereby demand that they use this power, and until such time that they do, it is time for them to pay a very big price!”
Donald Trump’s threat specifically targeted Mexico and Canada with a “25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States.” (Archived).
Mexican President’s Announcement
Full November 26, 2024, Press Briefing
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Reading Her Letter
Claudia Sheinbaum’s Letter (Archived)
English Translation of Claudia Sheinbaum’s Letter by David Adler (Archived)
“Dear President-elect Donald Trump,
I am writing to you regarding your statement on Monday, November 25, concerning migration, fentanyl trafficking, and tariffs.
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. As a result, and according to data from your country’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP), encounters at the Mexico–United States border have decreased by 75% between December 2023 and November 2024. Moreover, half of those who arrive do so through a legally scheduled appointment under the United States’ CBP One program. For these reasons, migrant caravans no longer arrive at the border.
Even so, it is clear that we must work 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.
On another note, and 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. So far this year, Mexican armed forces and prosecutors have seized tons of various types of drugs, 10,340 firearms, and have detained 15,640 individuals for violence related to drug trafficking.
Furthermore, the Mexican Congress is in the process of approving a constitutional reform to classify the production, distribution, and commercialization of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs as a serious crime without bail. However, it is publicly known that the chemical precursors used to produce this and other synthetic drugs are illegally entering Canada, the United States, and Mexico from Asian countries. This underscores the urgent need for international collaboration. You must also be aware of the illegal trafficking of firearms into my country from the United States.
Seventy percent of the illegal weapons seized from criminals in Mexico come from your country. We do not produce these weapons, nor do we consume synthetic drugs. Tragically, it is in our country that lives are lost to the violence resulting from meeting the drug demand in yours.
President Trump, migration and drug consumption in the United States cannot be addressed through threats or tariffs. What is needed is cooperation and mutual understanding to tackle these significant challenges.
For every tariff, there will be a response in kind, until we put at risk our shared enterprises. Yes, shared. 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? Such a measure would be unacceptable and would lead to inflation and job losses in both the United States and Mexico.
I am convinced that North America’s economic strength lies in maintaining our trade partnership. This allows us 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.”
The full text in the original Spanish, as well as translations by Google Translate, Snopes, and Newsweek, are available in the appendices for comparison.
The Part in Contention
The part in contention is “For these reasons, migrant caravans no longer arrive at the border,” which is “Por estas razones, ya no llegan caravanas de personas migrantes a la frontera” in the original Spanish.
Analyzing the Part in Contention
Claudia Sheinbaum’s speech prefaces with “for these reasons” before the “migrant caravans no longer arrive at the border.” The “reasons” are specified in the sentences immediately preceding this sentence. They are:
“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.” In Spanish, it is “México ha desarrollado una política integral de atención a las personas migrantes de diferentes lugares del mundo que cruzan nuestro territorio y tienen como destino la frontera sur de los Estados Unidos de América.”
“Half of those who arrive do so through a legally scheduled appointment under the United States’ CBP One program.” In Spanish, that part is “la mitad de los que arriban, es a través de una cita legalmente otorgada por el programa de Estados Unidos denominado CBP One.”
Mexico’s “Comprehensive Policy”
Mexico’s “Comprehensive Policy” started in December 2023.
Following a call between President Joe Biden and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on December 21, 2023 (Archived), Mexico committed “to help the United States cope with record numbers of people trying to reach the U.S. border” (Archived).
On December 27, 2023, Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled with Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and White House Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall to meet with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and “discuss unprecedented irregular migration in the Western Hemisphere and identify ways Mexico and the United States will address border security challenges.” (Archived).
After Blinken’s trip, charter flights and buses started carrying migrants from northern Mexico to southern Mexican areas like Villahermosa. (Archived). Mexico’s tactic in moving migrants to southern Mexico has been summarized as an effort to “wear out migrants” (Archived).
In addition, Mexico has also been employing various detention and administrative obstacles (Archived). Humanitarian visitor cards are a key document migrants use to avoid detention as they allow “migrants to travel across the country” (Archived). Mexico’s issuance of humanitarian visitor cards went from an average of 13,294 per month during the first 9 months of 2023 to 213 per month between November and February (Archived). From January 2024 through September 2024, a total of 3,076 humanitarian visitor cards were issued by the Mexican government (Archived). See page 125 of the Mexican government’s 2024 Monthly Statistical Bulletin for more information (Archived).
U.S. CBP One Program (Archived)
The CBP One app allows migrants to “make appointments without having to travel all the way north” to the U.S. southern border (Archived).
CBP One was originally launched by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on October 28, 2020 (Archived). It was initially “created to provide travelers with access to certain forms, schedule inspection appointments for perishable cargo and to assist international organizations who sought to help individuals enter the U.S.” (Archived).
Starting on January 12, 2023, the Biden Administration “started allowing migrants to request appointments using CBP One” (Archived). This was confirmed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) via a press release (Archived).
Currently, the CPB One app “has become the only way that migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border seeking asylum at a port of entry can preschedule appointments for processing and maintain guaranteed asylum eligibility” (Archived).
Are Mexico’s “Comprehensive Policy” or the CBP One Program a Response To Trump’s Tariff Threat?
Not a chance. The “comprehensive policy” began in December 2023. The appointment requests through the CBP One Program began on January 12, 2023. Donald Trump’s tariff threat occurred months later, on November 25, 2024.
Mexico’s Actual Response to Trump’s Tariff Threat
Mexico’s actual response to Trump’s tariff threat is “For every tariff, there will be a response in kind, until we put at risk our shared enterprises.”
In Spanish, this is, “A un arancel, vendrá otro en respuesta y así hasta que pongamos en riesgo empresas comunes.”
This is also consistent with other reporting that “Mexico suggests it would impose its own tariffs to retaliate against any Trump tariffs” (Archived) and that “Mexico’s President Raises Prospect of Retaliatory Tariffs on U.S. Goods” (Archived).
This claim has been separately fact-checked by Snopes (Archived) and Newsweek (Archived). They have arrived at similar conclusions.
Sources:
Daugherty, Eric [@EricLDaugh] (November 26, 2024). “#BREAKING: Mexican president announces she is stopping the migrant caravans from arriving at the U.S. southern border after Trump's tariff threat. The announcement came only 12 hours later.” Archived from the original on November 27, 2024 – via Twitter.
Kirk, Charlie [@charliekirk11] (November 26, 2024). “Within hours of President Trump announcing a 25% tariff on goods from Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum declares that no migrant caravans will reach the US Border. President Trump has promised to keep the tariffs in place "until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!"
Trump effect on full display.” Archived from the original on November 28, 2024 – via Twitter.
Trump, Donald [@realDonaldTrump] (November 25, 2024).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.” Archived from the original on November 27, 2024 – via Truth Social.
Pitas, Costas (November 26, 2024) “Trump vows new Canada, Mexico, China tariffs that threaten global trade.” Reuters. November 26, 2024. Archived from the original on November 26, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
“Trump vows tariffs on Mexico and Canada and deeper tariffs on China” The Guardian. November 26, 2024. Archived from the original on November 26, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
Sheinbaum, Claudia (November 26, 2024). “Mañanera de Claudia Sheinbaum, 26 de noviembre de 2024 | EN VIVO” (video). YouTube.com. Excélsior. Archived from the original on November 26, 2024. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
Sheinbaum, Claudia (November 26, 2024). “Estimado Presidente electo Donald Trump”. razonmx.com. Archived from the original on November 27, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
Adler, David [@davidrkadler] (November 26, 2024). “BREAKING from Mexico 🇺🇸🇲🇽 President Claudia Sheinbaum has just penned a letter to Donald Trump. It’s brilliant, firm, and unflinching — a document that will set the tone for an entirely new era of US-Mexican relations. I have posted the English translation below.” Archived from the original on November 27, 2024 – via Twitter.
“Biden, Mexico's president agree more border enforcement needed” Reuters. December 21, 2023. Archived from the original on December 21, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
“Mexico to boost measures aimed at curbing migration to US.” Reuters. December 23, 2023. Archived from the original on December 27, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
Miller, Matthew (December 22, 2023) “Secretary Blinken Travels to Mexico”. U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on November 28, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
Romero, Simon; Villegas, Paulina (May 14, 2024) “The Other Busing Program: Mexico Is Pushing Migrants Back South.” NyTimes. May 14, 2024. Archived from the original on May 14, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
Janetsky, Megan; Márquez, Félix (June 11, 2024) “Mexico’s tactic to cut immigration to the US: wear out migrants.” Associated Press. Archived from the original on June 11, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
Oré, Diego; Gottesdiener, Laura; Hesson, Ted; Gonzalez, Jose Luis (October 28, 2024) “How Mexico’s migrant crackdown influences the U.S. election.” Reuters. October 28, 2024. Archived from the original on October 28, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
Isacson, Adam (April 26, 2024) “Weekly U.S.-Mexico Border Update: Mexico blocks migration, U.S. legislation, migrant removals, nationalities”. Wola. April 26, 2024. Archived from the original on November 28, 2024. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
“Boletines Estadísticos”. Gobierno de México. Archived from the original on November 28, 2024. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
“Boletín Mensual de Estadísticas Migratorias 2024” Gobierno de México. Archived from the original on November 28, 2024. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
“CBP One™ Mobile Application” U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Archived from the original on October 10, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
“CBP One: An Overview” American Immigration Council. Archived from the original on May 14, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
Jones, Kelly (October 3, 2024) “No, the CBP One app doesn’t grant migrants legal status”. VERIFY. Archived from the original on November 27, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
“DHS Scheduling System for Safe, Orderly and Humane Border Processing Goes Live on CBP One™ App” U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Archived from the original on February 22, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
Montoya-Galvez, Camilo (February 12, 2024) “Migrants in Mexico have used CBP One app 64 million times to request entry into U.S.” CBS News. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
Romero, Simon (November 26, 2024) “Mexico’s President Raises Prospect of Retaliatory Tariffs on U.S. Goods.” NyTimes. November 26, 2024. Archived from the original on November 26, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
“Mexico suggests it would impose its own tariffs to retaliate against any Trump tariffs.” Associated Press. November 26, 2024. Archived from the original on November 26, 2024. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
“No, Mexican President Didn't Stop Migrant Caravans After Trump Threatened Tariffs” Snopes. November 27, 2024. Archived from the original on November 28, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
“Fact Check: Did Mexico Declare End To Caravans Amid Trump Tariff Talk?” Newsweek. November 27, 2024. Archived from the original on November 28, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
Appendices
Appendix A: Claudia Sheinbaum’s Letter in Spanish
Ciudad de México a 26 de noviembre de 2024
Estimado Presidente electo Donald Trump
Me dirijo a usted, a raíz de su declaración del lunes 25 de noviembre, sobre migración, tráfico de fentanilo y aranceles.
Probablemente no esté al tanto, que México ha desarrollado una política integral de atención a las personas migrantes de diferentes lugares del mundo que cruzan nuestro territorio y tienen como destino la frontera sur de los Estados Unidos de América. Como resultado y de acuerdo con las cifras de la Patrulla Fronteriza y de Aduanas de su país (CBP), los encuentros en la frontera entre México y Estados Unidos se han reducido en 75% de diciembre de 2023 a noviembre de 2024. Por cierto, la mitad de los que arriban, es a través de una cita legalmente otorgada por el programa de Estados Unidos denominado CBP One. Por estas razones, ya no llegan caravanas de personas migrantes a la frontera. Aun así, está claro que debemos arribar conjuntamente a otro modelo de movilidad laboral que es necesario para su país y de atención a las causas que llevan a familias a dejar sus lugares de origen por necesidad. Si un porcentaje de lo que Estados Unidos destina a la guerra se dedica a la construcción de la paz y al desarrollo, se estará atendiendo de fondo la movilidad de las personas.
Por otro lado y por razones humanitarias siempre hemos manifestado la disposición de México para evitar que siga la epidemia de fentanilo en los Estados Unidos que por lo demás, es un problema de consumo y de salud pública de la sociedad de su país. En lo que va del año, las fuerzas armadas mexicanas y las fiscalías han incautado toneladas de diferentes tipos de drogas, 10,340 armas y detenido 15,640 personas por violencia relacionada con el tráfico de drogas. Se encuentra en proceso de aprobación en el poder legislativo de mi país, una reforma constitucional para declarar delito grave sin derecho a fianza la producción, distribución y comercialización del fentanilo y otras drogas sintéticas. Sin embargo, es públicamente conocido que los precursores químicos para la fabricación de esta y otras drogas sintéticas entran a Canadá, Estados Unidos y México de manera ilegal proveniente de países asiáticos, para lo cual es urgente la colaboración internacional.
Usted debe estar al tanto también, del tráfico ilegal de armas que llega a mi país desde los Estados Unidos. El 70% de las armas ilegales incautadas a delincuentes en México, proviene de su país. Las armas no las producimos nosotros, las drogas sintéticas no las consumimos nosotros. Los muertos por la delincuencia para responder a la demanda de drogas en su país, lamentablemente los ponemos nosotros.
Presidente Trump, no es con amenazas ni con aranceles como se va a atender el fenómeno migratorio ni el consumo de drogas en Estados Unidos. Se requiere de cooperación y entendimiento recíproco a estos grandes desafíos. A un arancel, vendrá otro en respuesta y así hasta que pongamos en riesgo empresas comunes. Sí, comunes. Por ejemplo, de los principales exportadores de México a Estados Unidos son General Motors, Stellantis y Ford Motor Company, las cuales llegaron a México hace 80 años. ¿Por qué ponerle un impuesto que las ponga en riesgo? No es aceptable y causaría a Estados Unidos y a México inflación y pérdidas de empleo.
Estoy convencida que la fortaleza económica de Norte América radica en mantener nuestra sociedad comercial. Así podemos seguir siendo más competitivos frente a otros bloques económicos. Considero que el diálogo es el mejor camino para el entendimiento, la paz y la prosperidad en nuestras naciones, espero que nuestros equipos puedan encontrarse pronto.
Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo
Presidenta Constitucional de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos
Appendix B: English Translation of Claudia Sheinbaum’s Letter by Google Translate (Archived)
Mexico City, November 26, 2024
Dear President-elect Donald Trump
I am writing to you following your statement on Monday, November 25, on migration, fentanyl trafficking, and tariffs.
You are probably not aware that Mexico has developed a comprehensive policy to assist migrants from different parts of the world who cross our territory and are destined for the southern border of the United States of America. As a result, and according to figures from your country's Border Patrol and Customs Enforcement (CBP), encounters at the border between Mexico and the United States have been reduced by 75% from December 2023 to November 2024. By the way, half of those who arrive do so through a legally granted appointment by the United States program called CBP One. For these reasons, caravans of migrants no longer arrive at the border. Even so, it is clear that we must jointly arrive at another model of labor mobility that is necessary for your country and that addresses the causes that lead families to leave their places of origin out of necessity. If a percentage of what the United States allocates to war is dedicated to peacebuilding and development, the mobility of people will be fundamentally addressed.
On the other hand, and for humanitarian reasons, we have always expressed Mexico's willingness to prevent the continuation of the fentanyl epidemic in the United States, which is, moreover, a problem of consumption and public health in the society of your country. So far this year, the Mexican armed forces and prosecutors have seized tons of different types of drugs, 10,340 weapons, and arrested 15,640 people for violence related to drug trafficking. A constitutional reform is in the process of being approved in the legislative branch of my country to declare the production, distribution, and marketing of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs a serious crime without the right to bail. However, it is public knowledge that the chemical precursors for the manufacture of this and other synthetic drugs enter Canada, the United States and Mexico illegally from Asian countries, for which international collaboration is urgent.
You should also be aware of the illegal arms trafficking that reaches my country from the United States. 70% of the illegal weapons seized from criminals in Mexico come from your country. We do not produce the weapons, we do not consume the synthetic drugs. Those killed by crime to respond to the demand for drugs in your country are unfortunately our responsibility.
President Trump, it is not with threats or tariffs that we are going to address the migration phenomenon or drug consumption in the United States. Cooperation and mutual understanding are required in response to these great challenges. One tariff will be followed by another in response and so on until we put common companies at risk. Yes, common. For example, the main exporters from Mexico to the United States are General Motors, Stellantis and Ford Motor Company, which arrived in Mexico 80 years ago. Why impose a tax that puts them at risk? It is not acceptable and would cause inflation and job losses for the United States and Mexico.
I am convinced that the economic strength of North America lies in maintaining our commercial society. This way we can continue to be more competitive against other economic blocs. I believe that dialogue is the best path to understanding, peace and prosperity in our nations. I hope that our teams can meet soon.
Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo
Constitutional President of the United Mexican States
Appendix C: English Translation of Claudia Sheinbaum’s Letter by Snopes (Archived)
Dear President-elect Trump,
I am writing to you in response to your statement from November 25 about migration, fentanyl trafficking and tariffs.
You are probably not aware that Mexico has developed a comprehensive policy to address migrants from different parts of the world that cross our territory headed for the southern border of the United States of America. As a result, and according to figures from the United States Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), encounters on the border between Mexico and the United Staes have decreased 75% between December 2023 and November 2024. By the way, half of those who arrive do so through an appointment that has been legally granted through the United States's CBP One program. For these reasons, caravans of migrants no longer arrive at the border. Even so, it is clear that we must jointly arrive at another model of labor mobility that is necessary for your country and addresses the causes that lead families to leave their places of origin out of necessity. If a percentage of what the United States allocates to war was instead dedicated to development and building peace, the root causes of human mobility would be addressed.
On the other hand, and for humanitarian reasons, we have always expressed Mexico's willingness to prevent the continuation of the epidemic of fentanyl in the United States, which is a problem of consumption and of public health for your country's society. So far this year, the Mexican armed forces and prosecutors have seized tons of different types of drugs, 10,340 weapons and detained 15,640 persons for violence related to drug trafficking. A constitutional reform is currently in the process of approval in my country's legislative branch to classify the production, distribution, and commercialization of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs as a serious crime without the right to bail. However, it is publicly known that the chemical precursors for the manufacture of this and other synthetic drugs enter Canada, the US and Mexico illegally from Asian countries, for which international collaboration is urgently needed.
You should also be aware of the trafficking of illegal arms to my country from the United States. 70% of illegal weapons seized from criminals in Mexico come from your country. We do not produce the weapons, and we do not consume the synthetic drugs. Unfortunately, it is our lives that are lost to crime in response to the demand for drugs in your country.
President Trump, it is not with threats or tariffs that we can address the migration phenomenon or drug consumption in the US. Meeting these great challenges requires cooperation and mutual understanding. One tariff will be followed by another in response, and so on until we put joint ventures at risk. Yes, joint [ventures]. For example, some of the main exporters from Mexico to the US are General Motors, Stellantis, and Ford Motors Company, which arrived in Mexico 80 years ago. Why impose a tax that puts them at risk? It is not acceptable and would cause inflation and job losses in both the United States and Mexico.
I am convinced that the economic strength of North America lies in maintaining our commercial partnership. This way, we can continue to be competitive against other economic blocs. I believe that dialogue is the best path towards understanding, peace and prosperity in our nations, and I hope that our teams can meet soon.
Sincerely,
Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo
President of the United States of Mexico
Appendix D: English Translation of Claudia Sheinbaum’s Letter by Newsweek (Archived)
Dear President-elect Donald Trump,
I am writing to you regarding your statement on Monday, November 25, concerning migration, fentanyl trafficking, and tariffs.
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. As a result, and according to data from your country's Customs and Border Protection (CBP), encounters at the Mexico–United States border have decreased by 75% between December 2023 and November 2024. Moreover, half of those who arrive do so through a legally scheduled appointment under the United States' CBP One program. For these reasons, migrant caravans no longer arrive at the border.
Even so, it is clear that we must work 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.
On another note, and 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. So far this year, Mexican armed forces and prosecutors have seized tons of various types of drugs, 10,340 firearms, and have detained 15,640 individuals for violence related to drug trafficking.
Furthermore, the Mexican Congress is in the process of approving a constitutional reform to classify the production, distribution, and commercialization of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs as a serious crime without bail. However, it is publicly known that the chemical precursors used to produce this and other synthetic drugs are illegally entering Canada, the United States, and Mexico from Asian countries. This underscores the urgent need for international collaboration. You must also be aware of the illegal trafficking of firearms into my country from the United States.
Seventy percent of the illegal weapons seized from criminals in Mexico come from your country. We do not produce these weapons, nor do we consume synthetic drugs. Tragically, it is in our country that lives are lost to the violence resulting from meeting the drug demand in yours.
President Trump, migration and drug consumption in the United States cannot be addressed through threats or tariffs. What is needed is cooperation and mutual understanding to tackle these significant challenges.
For every tariff, there will be a response in kind, until we put at risk our shared enterprises. Yes, shared. 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? Such a measure would be unacceptable and would lead to inflation and job losses in both the United States and Mexico.
I am convinced that North America's economic strength lies in maintaining our trade partnership. This allows us 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.