The president paused the tariffs for 30 days.
But now says Canada and Mexico haven’t done enough to stem the flow of fentanyl.
President Trump has said that the US will impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico on Tuesday, saying there’s “no room left” for the two countries to avoid the measures.
Trump signed an executive order on February 1 to impose the 25% tariffs on all goods coming from Mexico and Canada with a carve-out for Canadian oil, which will be hit with a 10% tariff.
Trump paused the tariffs for 30 days after speaking with the leaders of Canada and Mexico, who both pledged to work to stem the flow of fentanyl and migrants entering the US. But Trump said on Monday that drugs were still “pouring into our Country from Mexico and Canada at very high and unacceptable levels.”
Mexican president: @CBP data reveals that fentanyl trafficking at U.S. ports of entry is overwhelmingly conducted by U.S. citizens pic.twitter.com/22W0CxBTdI
— Kawsachun News (@KawsachunNews) March 4, 2025
Reducing the flow of fentanyl into the US is extremely difficult since its high potency means traffickers can smuggle massive numbers of doses in small, hard-to-detect packages.
Trump also wants to use the tariffs to pressure companies to manufacture in the US and to reduce the trade deficits between the US and its trading partners. He has previously acknowledged the tariffs will cause “pain” for Americans since they will increase domestic prices.
Canada has said it’s ready to hit the US with retaliatory tariffs right away, and Mexico is vowing it will respond as well. Last month, Trump also imposed a 10% tariff on China and said that it would increase by another 10% on Tuesday.