Addressing the National Emergency: Tariffs as a Tool to Combat Illegal Immigration and Drug Trafficking
President Donald J. Trump declared a national emergency under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to confront the extraordinary threat posed by illegal immigration and the influx of deadly drugs, including fentanyl, into the United States. To address this critical situation, President Trump implemented significant tariffs on imports from key trading partners, including Canada, Mexico, and China. These measures included a 25% additional tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico, and a 10% additional tariff on imports from China, with energy resources from Canada receiving a lower 10% tariff.
President Trump’s decisive actions were aimed at holding Mexico, Canada, and China accountable for their commitments to curb illegal immigration and halt the flow of poisonous fentanyl and other dangerous drugs into the United States. The presidential orders underscored the severity of the national emergency created by the trafficking of contraband drugs like fentanyl through illicit networks, resulting in a public health crisis across the nation. The administration highlighted the failure of Chinese officials to effectively stem the flow of precursor chemicals used in fentanyl production to criminal cartels and to stop money laundering activities by transnational criminal organizations.
A particularly concerning issue raised was the alleged alliance between Mexican drug trafficking organizations and elements within the Mexican government. The fact sheet asserted that the Mexican government was providing safe havens for cartels involved in the manufacturing and transportation of dangerous narcotics. This situation, according to the White House, had led to the overdose deaths of hundreds of thousands of American citizens and posed a direct threat to the national security of the United States, necessitating decisive action to dismantle the influence of these cartels. Furthermore, the fact sheet pointed to the growing presence of Mexican cartels operating fentanyl and nitazene synthesis labs in Canada, citing a study that recognized Canada’s increasing role in domestic fentanyl production and international narcotics distribution.
Leveraging American Economic Strength: Prioritizing National Security and American Safety
The Trump administration emphasized that previous administrations had not fully utilized America’s economic strength to secure its borders against illegal migration and combat the fentanyl crisis. They argued that access to the American market is a privilege, highlighting that the United States boasts one of the most open economies globally and the lowest average tariff rates worldwide.
While international trade represents a significant portion of the GDP for Canada (67%), Mexico (73%), and China (37%), it accounts for a smaller percentage of the U.S. GDP (24%). Despite this, the U.S. in 2023 faced the world’s largest trade deficit in goods, exceeding $1 trillion. The fact sheet positioned tariffs as a powerful and historically proven tool for protecting national interests. President Trump’s administration asserted its intent to use these tools decisively, prioritizing the safety of Americans and national security above all else. They contrasted this approach with previous administrations, which they claimed had failed to leverage America’s unique position in world trade to advance the security interests of the American people.
President Trump’s Commitment: Fulfilling Promises to Secure the Border and Stop Illegal Drugs
The document stressed that President Trump was fulfilling his campaign promises to voters who elected him with a mandate to secure the border. It directly criticized the Biden Administration’s policies, claiming they had fueled the “worst border crisis in U.S. history.”
The fact sheet stated that under the Biden administration’s leadership, over 10 million illegal aliens had attempted to enter the United States, including an increasing number of Chinese nationals and individuals on terror watchlists. It also noted that the border crisis was not limited to the southern border, with encounters at the northern border with Canada also on the rise. The sustained influx of illegal immigrants was described as having profound negative consequences across various aspects of American life, including straining schools, depressing wages, increasing housing costs, overwhelming hospitals, burdening the welfare system, and contributing to crime.
The document emphasized that gangs, smugglers, human traffickers, and illegal drugs were flowing across the borders into American communities. It cited statistics from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) indicating the apprehension of over 21,000 pounds of fentanyl at the borders in the last fiscal year – a quantity of fentanyl with the potential to kill billions of people. Acknowledging that this figure likely represented only a fraction of the fentanyl smuggled across the southern border, the fact sheet highlighted the devastating impact of these drugs, claiming they cause tens of thousands of American deaths annually, with fentanyl alone attributed to 75,000 deaths per year. This figure, they emphasized, surpassed the number of American lives lost in the entire Vietnam War.
Building on a Legacy of Action: Trade Policy as National Security
President Trump’s administration presented these tariff actions as a continuation of his commitment to ensuring that U.S. trade policy serves national interests. Referencing the Presidential Memorandum on American First Trade Policy, they reiterated the administration’s view of trade policy as a critical component of national security.
The fact sheet quoted President Trump’s November promise to impose a 25% tariff on all products from Mexico and Canada until illegal immigration and drug flows, particularly fentanyl, were halted. It highlighted President Trump’s previous actions during his first term, such as establishing the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis and declaring the Opioid Crisis a public health emergency.
The document also emphasized President Trump’s history of prioritizing American interests in trade. It mentioned his successful use of tariff threats against Mexico during his first term to enhance border security, his implementation of tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to protect national security from global oversupply, and his imposition of tariffs on Chinese imports in response to intellectual property theft and forced technology transfer, which led to a historic bilateral economic agreement with China. Finally, it cited the recent use of tariffs to resolve national security concerns with Colombia as another example of President Trump’s effective use of trade policy to prioritize American safety and border security.
