Mexico's president discussed migration and drug trafficking with President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday – two issues he has used as justification for raising import tariffs on America's southern neighbor.
Claudia Sheinbaum said she had had "an excellent conversation" with Trump, just hours after her economy minister warned that the cost to U.S. companies of Trump's proposed tariffs would be "huge."
"We discussed Mexico's strategy regarding the phenomenon of migration," Sheinbaum said on X, adding she told Trump that caravans of migrants "are not arriving at the northern border because they are being attended to in Mexico."
They also discussed "strengthening collaboration on security issues" as well as "the campaign we are conducting in the country to prevent the consumption of fentanyl," she said.
Trump on Monday said he would impose tariffs of 25% on Mexican and Canadian imports and 10% on goods from China.
"This Tariff will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social page.
Trump, who won an election in which illegal immigration was a top issue, has vowed to declare a national emergency on border security and use the U.S. military to conduct a mass deportation of illegal immigrants.
Mexico Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Wednesday some "400,000 jobs will be lost" in the United States if Trump followed through on his threat. He cited a study based on figures from U.S. carmakers that manufacture in Mexico.
Ebrard said the tariffs would also hit U.S. consumers hard, citing the U.S. market for pickup trucks – most of which are manufactured in Mexico. The tariffs, the minister said, would add $3,000 to the cost of a new vehicle.
"The impact of this measure will chiefly be felt by consumers in the United States. ... That is why we say that it would be a shot in the foot," Ebrard told reporters, speaking alongside Sheinbaum at her regular morning conference.
Mexico and China have been particularly vociferous in their opposition to Trump's threats of a trade war from Day 1 of his second presidential term, which begins on Jan. 20.
Sheinbaum has declared the threats "unacceptable" and pointed out that Mexico's drug cartels exist mainly to serve drug use in the United States.
China has warned that "no one will win a trade war."
During his first term as president, Trump imposed significant tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of Chinese goods. China responded with retaliatory tariffs on American products, particularly affecting U.S. farmers.
The United States, Mexico and Canada are tied to a three-decade-old largely duty-free trade agreement, called the USMCA, which was renegotiated under Trump after he complained that U.S. businesses, especially automakers, were losing out.