US tariff suspension: Mexico to deploy troops at border
The United States has suspended the 25-percent tariffs on imports from Mexico for a month, President Donald Trump announced on Monday via the Truth Social platform.
In his post, Trump mentioned having a "very friendly" conversation with Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum, during which it was agreed that Mexico will deploy 10,000 soldiers to the border with the United States. Their mission will be to "stop the influx of fentanyl and illegal immigrants" into the U.S. As part of this agreement, the previously planned tariffs will be suspended for a month, allowing time for negotiations involving Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the heads of the Departments of Finance and Commerce, Scott Bessent and Howard Lutnick.
Donald Trump: I can't wait
"I can't wait to participate in these negotiations with President Sheinbaum as we strive to reach an 'agreement' between our countries," Trump wrote.
Sheinbaum also reported the news about the suspension of tariffs.
The suspension of tariffs took place less than a day before they were set to take effect. Previously, in 2024, Mexico had sent troops to the border region in response to increasing violence in Juarez. The official reason for imposing high tariffs on Mexico was the "influx of fentanyl and illegal immigrants," although Trump also cited a trade deficit with Mexico, Canada, and China.
Trump also mentioned that regarding tariffs, he spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and announced plans for another conversation with him at 3 PM Eastern Time. In the same post, he accused Canada of not allowing American banks to operate.
According to statistics from the Customs and Border Protection agency (CBP), less than 1 percent of drugs intercepted by U.S. services are smuggled through Canada. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also indicate that over the past year, the number of drug overdose deaths, including those involving fentanyl, has declined to below 90,000 annually.
The Wall Street Journal notes that just after the announcement of the suspension of tariffs, American stock markets began to recover the losses recorded after the market opened on Monday.
