The Trump administration’s Department of Justice has <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/chinese-company-and-three-chinese-nationals-indicted-unlawfully-importing-pill-making" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that a federal grand jury indicted a Chinese company and three Chinese nationals for allegedly illegally importing equipment capable of producing millions of potentially lethal fake pills.
The indictment, unsealed on Monday, targeted CapsulCN International Co. Ltd. (CapsulCN) and Xiochuan “Ricky” Pan, 40, Tingyan “Monica” Yang, 37, and Xi “Inna” Chen, 30, all of whom were charged with smuggling, Controlled Substances Act, and money laundering offenses in connection with CapsulCN’s unlawful import and distribution of tableting machines (also known as “pill presses”), encapsulating machines, and counterfeit die molds.
“Over a quarter of a million Americans have died from a fentanyl overdose since 2018,” USA Facts <a href="https://usafacts.org/articles/are-fentanyl-overdose-deaths-rising-in-the-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">notes</a>. &#8220;During 2023, approximately 72,000, or nearly seven in 10, drug overdose deaths in the United States were estimated to involve illegally manufactured fentanyls (IMFs),” the CDC has <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/wr/mm7348a2.htm#:~:text=During%202023%2C%20approximately%2072%2C000%2C%20or,in%20the%20U.S.%20drug%20supply." target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
“Four internet domains used by CapsulCN to market and sell illicit pill-making equipment to U.S. customers were seized today in connection with this investigation,” the DOJ revealed.
“This indictment and today’s domain seizures send an unmistakable message to criminals in the People’s Republic of China and across the world — the Department will use every weapon in its arsenal to combat those who facilitate the manufacture and distribution of deadly drugs in the United States,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated.
“This U.S. Attorney’s Office is focused on bringing the full force of justice to anyone who conspires to poison our communities with fentanyl,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas. “Whether through the importation of pill presses and related materials, as alleged in this indictment, or through trafficking precursor chemicals and the drug itself, it is evident that bad actors are determined to harm Americans with fentanyl. Our federal prosecutors, through collaborative efforts with our law enforcement partners, are determined to stop them.”
“These indictments against Chinese nationals exemplify Homeland Security Investigations’ unwavering commitment to breaking every link of the global fentanyl supply chain,” Special Agent in Charge Jason T. Stevens of the HSI El Paso Division echoed. “We are committed to continue working hand-in-hand with our domestic and international law enforcement partners to get deadly fentanyl out of our communities and put an end to the chaos and devastation resulting from this epidemic.”
The DOJ explained:
<blockquote>
Many of the fake pills containing fentanyl and other controlled substances seized in the United States are manufactured using relatively inexpensive pill-making equipment — such as pill presses, encapsulating machines, and die molds — obtained from Chinese pharmaceutical equipment companies and imported into the United States. These fake pills often mimic the look, feel, and effect of legitimate pharmaceutical drugs and are particularly dangerous and misleading to U.S. consumers, who may falsely believe they are taking legitimate prescription medication that is safer and less addictive than the fentanyl and methamphetamine the pills really contain.
</blockquote>
The effort to discover the illegal importation was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. “Established in 1982, OCDETF is the centerpiece of the Attorney General’s strategy to combat transnational-organized-crime and to reduce the availability of illicit narcotics in the nation by using a prosecutor-led, multi-agency approach to enforcement,” the DOJ <a href="https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">states</a>.

Nogales, Arizona, USA – Nov 06 2023: Fentanyl pills seized by U.S. Custom and Border Protection officers at the Port of Mariposa

Chinese Company Accused Of Smuggling Equipment To U.S. Used To Make Fake Pills, Mislead Americans

China

Crime

Department of Justice

Fentanyl

Pharmaceuticals

smuggle

U.S.

China’s President Xi Jinping sent his top security official to Switzerland on Friday for critical trade talks with the U.S., underscoring Beijing&#8217;s recognition of the fentanyl crisis as a key issue amid ongoing tariff tensions with the Trump administration.
The Chinese delegation, led by Vice Premier He Lifeng, includes Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong, who is considered &#8220;the point person in Beijing’s recent discussions with Washington over how to address President Trump’s concerns about China’s role in the fentanyl trade,&#8221; <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/china/china-sends-xis-security-czar-to-trade-talks-with-u-s-a763826d?mod=hp_lead_pos1">according</a> to The Wall Street Journal. They will meet with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Switzerland on Saturday and Sunday.
The meeting will be aimed at addressing China&#8217;s role in the U.S. fentanyl crisis and tariff policies, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal.
Previously, Chinese officials had accused the U.S. of using the fentanyl problem as a pretext to escalate tariffs.
Now, the Chinese government appears to recognize that it must present cooperative gestures in response to significant American concerns about the fentanyl crisis, as shown by Wang Xiaohong&#8217;s anticipated presence.
“Wang’s presence means one thing: Fentanyl is not only on the table, but also a key piece in the U.S.-China trade talks at this stage,” said Yun Sun, China program director at the D.C. Stimson Center, per the WSJ. “How willing China is to cooperate will illustrate how eager they are to make the trade deal.”
Sources close to the discussions told the Wall Street Journal that the Chinese delegation has been given a clear list outlining steps the Trump administration expects Beijing to take on fentanyl.
These recommendations reportedly include stricter law enforcement measures targeting domestic suppliers of fentanyl precursor chemicals and harsher penalties for criminal organizations involved in narcotics trafficking.
President Donald Trump, who imposed 145% tariffs on Chinese goods in part due to China&#8217;s connection with the fentanyl crisis — which claims tens of thousands of American lives each year — posted Friday on Truth Social that he is open to lowering tariffs to 80%, placing the decision in the hands of Treasury Secretary Bessent.
“CHINA SHOULD OPEN UP ITS MARKET TO USA — WOULD BE SO GOOD FOR THEM!!! CLOSED MARKETS DON’T WORK ANYMORE!!!” Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114477610338144415">posted</a> on Truth Social Friday morning.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-calls-for-china-to-open-its-markets-floats-major-tariff-reduction">Trump Calls For China To Open Its Markets, Floats Major Tariff Reduction</a>

CHINA-US-DIPLOMACY

China Dispatches Top Security Chief To Face Trump Team Over Fentanyl Crisis, Tariffs

Switzerland

Tariffs

Trade War

Trump Administration

Xi Jinping

Federal authorities carried out a raid on a massive fentanyl peddling ring in New Mexico that was tied to the Sinaloa Cartel, resulting in the arrest of 16 individuals and the largest fentanyl seizure in American history, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Tuesday.
The raid was carried out by the Drug Enforcement Administration and other law enforcement partners and resulted in the seizure of 11.5 kilograms of concentrated fentanyl powder, 49 firearms, millions of dollars in cash, luxury vehicles, meth, heroin, cocaine, and nearly “three million pills … laced with fentanyl, labeled as oxycodone,” Attorney General Pam Bondi noted. The shocking amount of fentanyl is enough to kill millions of Americans, with just 2 milligrams being a <a href="https://www.dea.gov/resources/facts-about-fentanyl">lethal dose</a> for adults.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AGPamBondi</a> announces the takedown of a massive drug and weapons trafficking organization in New Mexico, operated by the Sinaloa cartel — resulting in the largest fentanyl seizure in our nation&#8217;s history and the arrests of six high-level cartel members illegally in the U.S. <a href="https://t.co/6qdSd0bsCu">pic.twitter.com/6qdSd0bsCu</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1919811733004140982?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
Sixteen people were arrested in the operation, including the leader of the drug smuggling ring, an illegal alien with ties to the Sinaloa Cartel, which was designated as a foreign terror organization earlier this year. Six of those arrested in the operation were in the country illegally, Bondi noted.
<div id="attachment_916595" style="width: 582px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/DOJ-Arrests-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-916595" class=" wp-image-916595" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/DOJ-Arrests-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="572" height="763" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/DOJ-Arrests-225x300.jpg 225w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/DOJ-Arrests-432x576.jpg 432w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/DOJ-Arrests-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/DOJ-Arrests-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/DOJ-Arrests-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/DOJ-Arrests-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 572px) 100vw, 572px" /></a>The Daily Wire</div>
Daily Wire White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan asked Bondi if the DOJ has had success working with Mexican officials to extradite cartel members involved in the smuggling operation.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
As <a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AGPamBondi</a> announces the largest fentanyl seizure in U.S. history, <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MaryMargOlohan</a> asks whether the Mexican government has aided in extraditing cartel members:
BONDI: “Mexico has been cooperating, we extradited 29 here to our country to face charges … President Trump is… <a href="https://t.co/NuDGO3Gwog">pic.twitter.com/NuDGO3Gwog</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1919832458742423976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
“We will be hopefully working with them on one soon,” Bondi said in response to Olohan’s question. “But yes, Mexico has been cooperating in the past. I think we extradited 29 here to our country to face charges,” adding that those brought in to face American justice are “some of the top cartel members in our nation’s history.”
Bondi also highlighted the scale of the fentanyl crisis facing America, noting that “75,000 Americans are dying each year because of fentanyl” before adding that the DOJ “will not stop until this poison is off of our streets and out of our country.”
“More seizures are coming, more arrests are coming,” Bondi promised. “I guarantee you that.” The Attorney General noted that the six illegal aliens, including Heriberto Salazar Amaya, the leader with ties to the Sinaloa Cartel, will face American justice instead of being deported back to their countries of origin.

AG Pam Bondi

Feds Make Largest Fentanyl Bust In History, Arrest Illegal Alien With Ties To Deadly Cartel

Border

cartel

Illegal Immigration

Immigration

Pam Bondi

President Donald Trump said Sunday that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is so afraid of drug cartels that &#8220;she can&#8217;t even think straight,&#8221; and that&#8217;s why she rejected his proposal to send American troops into Mexico to fight them.
Trump made the comments after he was asked whether news that he had made the offer was true. On Saturday, Sheinbaum said that she had turned down Trump&#8217;s offer because it would impugn Mexican sovereignty.
&#8220;It&#8217;s true,&#8221; Trump told reporters. &#8220;[The cartels] are horrible people that have been killing people left and right. They&#8217;ve made a fortune on selling drugs and destroying our people. We lost 300,000 people last year to fentanyl and drugs. They are bad news.&#8221;
&#8220;If Mexico wanted help with the cartels we would be honored to go in and do it,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I told her that, &#8216;I&#8217;d be honored to go in and do it.&#8217; The cartels are trying to destroy our country. They are evil! And you know, we had 300,000 people die last year from fentanyl and all that. We had millions of people brought into this country that shouldn&#8217;t be here. The cartels brought them in.&#8221;
He said that he thought Sheinbaum was nice but that she refused American help because she was scared of the cartels.
&#8220;So if she said that I offered to do that, she&#8217;s 100 percent right,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;She&#8217;s so afraid of the cartels she can&#8217;t walk so you know, that&#8217;s the reason. And I think she&#8217;s a lovely woman. The president of Mexico is a lovely woman. But she is so afraid of the cartels that she can&#8217;t even think straight.&#8221;
On Friday, it was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-pressures-mexico-to-allow-u-s-military-to-lead-fight-against-drug-cartels?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Pressures+Mexico+To+Allow+U.S.+Military+To+Lead+Fight+Against+Drug+Cartels" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that Sheinbaum and Trump got into a heated phone call last month after he pushed for the U.S. military to lead in the fight against cartels.
&#8220;He said, &#8216;How can we help you fight drug trafficking? I propose that the United States military come in and help you.&#8217; And you know what I said to him? &#8216;No, President Trump,'&#8221; Sheinbaum <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-sheinbaum-mexico-drug-cartels-c2113e74cfc122f8f5a9e162644a470f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on Saturday, confirming the conversation.
&#8220;Sovereignty is not for sale. Sovereignty is loved and defended,&#8221; she added. &#8220;We can work together, but you in your territory and us in ours.&#8221;
Trump has designated cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-it-is-time-for-america-to-wage-war-on-the-cartels" target="_blank" rel="noopener">promised</a> in a speech before Congress to &#8220;wage war&#8221; on them.
White House National Security Council spokesman James Hewitt said Saturday that while the United States-Mexico border had largely been secured, Mexico still needed to do more to crack down on drug cartels.
&#8220;Dangerous Foreign Terrorist Organizations, however, continue to threaten our shared security and the drugs and crime they spread threaten American communities across the country,&#8221; Hewitt said. &#8220;The President has been crystal clear that Mexico must do more to combat these gangs and cartels and the United States stands ready to assist and expand the already close cooperation between our two countries.&#8221;

MixCollage-05-May-2025-07-30-AM-9035

Trump Says Mexico’s President ‘Afraid’ To Let American Troops Come Fight Cartels

Cartels

Claudia Sheinbaum

Donald Trump

Drugs

Executive

Mexico

Military

Politics

Nogales border with increased presence of Mexican troops looking for fentanyl and migrants

Trump’s War On Fentanyl Off To A Strong Start

Trump's War On Fentanyl Off To A Strong Start

Border Crisis

President Trump

Southern Border

The Trump administration’s Treasury Department announced today that it is imposing sanctions aimed at wiping out funding for the Sinaloa Cartel, a violent and notorious drug cartel that was recently designated as a foreign terror organization.
“We’ve taken decisive action against the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most notoriously violent criminal and drug trafficking organizations in the world,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an announcement posted to X on Monday. “We leveled sanctions against six individuals and seven entities involved in a money laundering operation, cutting off financing for these evil people.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
National security is economic security. Today, the <a href="https://twitter.com/USTreasury?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USTreasury</a> Department proudly leveled new sanctions against financiers of the criminal Sinaloa drug cartel, which has flooded our borders with fentanyl and senselessly murdered innocent American citizens. This ends under… <a href="https://t.co/b4uLng8RNN">pic.twitter.com/b4uLng8RNN</a>
— Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecScottBessent/status/1906756180619264450?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
“The Sinaloa Cartel has invaded our southern border. They have tortured and murdered countless of our citizens, dedicated law enforcement agents like Kiki Camarena and veterans like Nicholas Quets, who was only 31 years old when he was ruthlessly taken from us,” Bessent went on to charge.
Bessent added that the foreign terror organization is responsible for a “significant amount of the fentanyl and illicit drugs brought into the United States,” adding that those drugs “continue to kill innocent Americans and destroy families every single day.”
“Laundered drug money is the lifeblood of the Sinaloa Cartel’s narco-terrorist enterprise, only made possible through trusted financial facilitators like those we have designated today,” the Treasury Secretary also <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0064">noted</a>.
The Treasury Department spotlighted the specific individuals and organizations hit by the sanctions, also explaining that any of their assets held in institutions in the United States are now required to be frozen and reported to the Office of Foreign Assets Control.
The sanctions come just after the Trump administration’s State Department named the Sinaloa Cartel a foreign terror organization, <a href="https://www.state.gov/designation-of-international-cartels/#:~:text=Today%2C%20the%20Department%20of%20State,as%20Foreign%20Terrorist%20Organizations%20(FTOs">describing</a> it as “one of the world’s most powerful drug cartels&#8221; and &#8220;one of the largest producers and traffickers of fentanyl and other illicit drugs to the United States.”
“Cartel de Sinaloa has used violence to murder, kidnap, and intimidate civilians, government officials, and journalists,” the State Department added.
Various different agencies in the Trump administration have recently taken action to crack down on the cartels. FBI Director Kash Patel <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fbi-extradites-top-ms-13-leader-from-mexico-to-face-american-justice">announced</a> earlier this month that the federal law enforcement agency had extradited a leader of the violent criminal gang MS-13 from Mexico.
The administration has also invoked the Alien Enemies Act to expedite the removal of suspected Tren de Aragua members. Multiple left-wing judges, including one who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/judge-who-upheld-block-of-trumps-deportation-flights-is-a-major-dem-donor">donated</a> five figures to Democrats, have ruled against the use of the act to remove the illegal aliens, prompting the Trump administration to call for the Supreme Court to weigh in.

Bessent and Trump

Trump’s Treasury Dept Launches Sanctions Targeting Sinaloa Cartel

Drug Cartels

Treasury

The Senate on Friday passed a Trump-admin backed bill that would further enable law enforcement to crack down on fentanyl trafficking.
In an 84-16 vote, the Senate passed the HALT Fentanyl Act (Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act), which would make traffickers of fentanyl analogues, substances that have been altered so as to not technically be fentanyl, subject to the same criminal penalties as fentanyl dealers. The bill would also make fentanyl-related substances permanently classified as Schedule 1 controlled substances.
“The HALT Fentanyl Act is a critical step towards ending the crisis that’s killing hundreds of thousands of precious American lives,” Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) <a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/rep/releases/senate-overwhelmingly-passes-grassley-led-halt-fentanyl-act-to-permanently-schedule-fentanyl-related-substances">said</a> after the vote. “I thank my Senate colleagues for passing this bill with broad, overwhelming support. I urge my House colleagues to swiftly pass the Senate version of this battle-tested, bipartisan bill to save lives, advance research and support our brave men and women in blue.”
All 16 opponents of the bill were Democrats, some of whom were opposed to the aspect that allowed for harsher criminal sentences. It was backed by a host of law enforcement groups including the National Fraternal Order of Police and the National Association of Police Organizations.
The bill was first introduced in January by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Grassley, and Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich (NM).
According to a <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/331">summary</a> of the bill, “offenses involving fentanyl-related substances are triggered by the same quantity thresholds and subject to the same penalties as offenses involving fentanyl analogues (e.g., offenses involving 100 grams or more trigger a 10-year mandatory minimum prison term).”
Cassidy told reporters on a call Friday morning that the bill would allow law enforcement to go after fentanyl analogs because those are still addictive and “can still kill,” saying that officers could confiscate fentanyl analogs.
Sen. James Lankford (R–OK) said in the same call that there were still a lot of avenues, especially stopping it at both the southern and northern borders, that needed to be pursued to stop the ongoing crisis as tens of thousands of Americans die from fentanyl-related deaths every year.
The bill heads to the House, which passed a similar bill last year &#8212; though it didn’t go anywhere in the Democrat-controlled Senate. The Trump administration has <a href="https://www.grassley.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/halt_fentanyl_omb_endorsement.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signaled</a> that it strongly supports the legislation as cracking down on the flow of fentanyl has been a top priority for President Donald Trump.

HEALTH-US-DRUGS-FENTANYL-CHINA-MEXICO

Senate Overwhelmingly Passes Fentanyl Trafficking Bill: ‘Critical Step Toward Ending The Crisis’

Chuck Grassley

Congress

Law Enforcement

Senate

White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett argued on Sunday that the administration&#8217;s tariffs against Mexico, Canada, and China were not about a trade war, but a drug war.
Hassett made the remarks during a Sunday interview on ABC News&#8217; &#8220;This Week&#8221; when asked what was driving President Donald Trump&#8217;s decision-making on the matter.
&#8220;What happened was that we launched a drug war, not a trade war, and it was part of a negotiation to get Canada and Mexico to stop shipping fentanyl across our borders,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And as we&#8217;ve watched them make progress on the drug war, then we&#8217;ve relaxed some of the tariffs that we put on them because they&#8217;re making progress. And so, that drug war is something that&#8217;s been going on since really the beginning of the Trump administration.&#8221;
He said that the administration was going to release a study in April highlighting the harm done to the American economy by foreign nations that have placed tariffs on products from the United States.
&#8220;Between now and then, we&#8217;ve got the drug war which we&#8217;re hopefully going to solve by the end of the month,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Hopefully, that we&#8217;ll actually round up, you know, the people in the cartels and stop the flow of fentanyl that&#8217;s killing hundreds of thousands of Americans, and then we&#8217;ll be focused on the reciprocal thing.&#8221;
&#8220;And now on the reciprocal thing, remember that just about every country on Earth charges a much higher tariff than we do,&#8221; he added. &#8220;And so, when we pass an act that says that we&#8217;re going to have the same tariff they charge us, then you&#8217;re covering it as if the only possible outcome is that our tariffs go up. But maybe they decide to go down, right?&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
“We launched a drug war, not a trade war — and it was part of a negotiation to get Canada and Mexico to stop shipping fentanyl across our borders,&#8221; Pres. Trump’s economic adviser Kevin Hassett says of the administration’s tariffs. <a href="https://t.co/vbFR5Md1S9">https://t.co/vbFR5Md1S9</a> <a href="https://t.co/C2qC94yDx2">pic.twitter.com/C2qC94yDx2</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1898733502754881536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2025</a></blockquote>

Key Speakers At Conservative Political Action Conference

White House Official: U.S. Imposing Tariffs As Part Of ‘Drug War,’ Not ‘Trade War’

Economy

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said during an interview over the weekend that America&#8217;s enemies are flooding the country&#8217;s streets with fentanyl in — part because they are trying to kill Americans.
Noem made the remarks during a Sunday interview on CBS News&#8217; &#8220;Face The Nation&#8221; with Margaret Brennan while talking about President Donald Trump&#8217;s efforts to stop the flow of drugs coming into the U.S.
She said that the Trump&#8217;s tariffs on Canada and Mexico were really about fentanyl, not just the economy.
&#8220;I think the president obviously wants a strong economy, obviously wants better trade deals as well,&#8221; she said. &#8220;But this is about fentanyl and what we can do to stop the cartels from partnering with Chinese officials, laundering money and bringing a poison into our country that is specifically designed to kill the next generation.&#8221;
&#8220;I think a lot of people don&#8217;t understand the strategy of these enemies of the United States and what they&#8217;re utilizing,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;They are bringing this in, not just to make money. They&#8217;re bringing it in here to kill Americans. And it&#8217;s time that we stand up for the people that live here and make sure that we&#8217;re stopping this war against our children.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
President Trump&#8217;s decision to hit Canada with tariffs &#8220;really is about fentanyl,&#8221; says Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
&#8220;The president obviously wants a strong economy, obviously wants better trade deals as well,&#8221; she says. &#8220;But this is about fentanyl.&#8221;
She says… <a href="https://t.co/WCahvBGzwQ">pic.twitter.com/WCahvBGzwQ</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1898763012019741021?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2025</a></blockquote>

Nominees For Deputy DHS Secretary And Deputy OMB Director Testify In Senate Hearing

Noem: America’s Enemies Intentionally Bring Fentanyl To U.S. ‘To Kill Americans’

border security

Kristi Noem

AUSTIN, Texas – The chosen political slogan of Mexico’s last and current president, “Abrazos, no balazos” (“<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-f4c29ad0e3014ca3a4cffccfe4cac1d4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hugs, not Bullets”),</a> is often embraced to describe official government policy toward the country’s ultra-violent drug-trafficking cartels. The beauty of this slogan is that it requires no explanation.
The reverse, however, “Bullets, not Hugs,” is probably up next whether Mexico likes it or not. President Donald Trump has just forced Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to capitulate to a threat of ruinous 25% trade tariffs on Mexican exports unless she uses military force to suppress the flow of fentanyl (and illegal immigrant smuggling) over the U.S. southern border. She’s deploying 10,000 troops to cartel country, right smack in the drug-trafficking lanes of Mexico’s far northern precincts along the U.S. border.
This deployment of Mexican troops, however, is quite different from previous ones, in which the main mission was to slow illegal immigration only, including during Trump’s first term and throughout the Biden term. For this one, the Trump mission demand is, as State Department Spokeswoman Tammy Bruce <a href="https://www.state.gov/secretary-rubios-call-with-mexican-foreign-secretary-de-la-fuente/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">put it recently</a>, that Mexico needs to “&#8230;dismantle transnational criminal organizations, halt illegal migration, and stem the flow of fentanyl and precursor chemicals from China.”
That American priority has just put Mexican forces in the crosshairs of the most sensitive cartel hotspot: the blood-soaked zone between heavily armed cartel forces and their money just across the U.S. border.
<div id="attachment_873419" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-873419" class="size-large wp-image-873419" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2198146140-1-864x576.jpg" alt="CIUDAD JUAREZ, MEXICO - FEBRUARY 06: Mexican National Guard patrol along the U.S.-Mexico border on February 06, 2025 near Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Advance units of troops deployed to the border under orders of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on Mexican goods. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2198146140-1-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2198146140-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2198146140-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2198146140-1.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />John Moore/Getty Images</div>
As if this was not provocative enough on its own, a senior Trump official with direct knowledge told me bilateral plans call for at least some of the more trusted of Mexico’s forces to physically attack cartel-run narcotics depots that would include pre-smuggling fentanyl hubs inside Mexico.
Certain U.S. intelligence groups are working with the Mexican government “to give them an exact laydown. They say they’re going to target the narcotics. We’re literally still at the table.”
All of this should prove triggering, literally, to any of Mexico’s nine main cartels once the whole enterprise ramps up in earnest.
I have a good feel for what this set of circumstances portends. As a reporter for Hearst News in San Antonio, Texas, from 2006-2009, <a href="https://www.toddbensman.com/category/archives/other-border-security-coverage/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I regularly covered the exceptionally bloody civil drug war</a> against the cartels that Felipe de Jesus Calderón Hinojosa (2006-2012) declared and which, after hundreds of thousands of Mexican casualties, spawned the popularly preferred “Hugs, not Bullets” policies of his successors. <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/mexicos-long-war-drugs-crime-and-cartels" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The U.S. partnered with Mexico throughout the war</a>, providing targeting intelligence and billions of dollars to modernize its security forces. All of that was for a quest to stem the flow of illegal drugs into the United States.
But after six years of ferocious combat and widespread torture and assassination, Mexico retreated in almost total defeat. The drug flow may have dipped from time to time but it never stopped.
In the years since, I’ve often pondered whether Calderón and his successors should have trebled down when defeat seemed inevitable, as did former President George W. Bush during the Iraq war. When the chips were down amid calls for a humiliating U.S. withdrawal during the Iraq war, Bush famously turned the tables by deploying 30,000 more troops. With Mexico, however, disrupting fentanyl production and trafficking with the military will not be easy, and may very well spark another government-cartel war similar to 2006-2012.
<div id="attachment_873423" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-873423" class="size-large wp-image-873423" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2198146249-864x576.jpg" alt="CIUDAD JUAREZ, MEXICO - FEBRUARY 06: Mexican troops patrol the U.S.-Mexico border on February 06, 2025 near Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Advance units of soldiers deployed to the border under orders of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on Mexican goods. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2198146249-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2198146249-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2198146249-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2198146249.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />John Moore/Getty Images</div>
The stars and planets all seem to be aligning for more violence, including from an unexpected quarter: President Sheinbaum herself may be aching for this fight.
Rodrigo Nieto-Gomez, a Mexico-born and educated national security research professor for the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California said Sheinbaum has installed anti-cartel Morena Party hardliners over much of Mexico&#8217;s state security apparatuses. This wing of her party, Nieto-Gomez explained, has been spoiling to shed the &#8220;Hugs, not bullets&#8221; policy for a good hard fight with the cartels.
Trump is now providing a &#8220;top-cover&#8221; excuse for them to finally exert the military pressure they&#8217;ve been wanting.
&#8220;Trump&#8217;s actions have temporarily tilted the playing field in favor of Morena,&#8221; Nieto-Gomez said. &#8220;With the right philosophy and the right level of American support, we may see a different type of violence in Mexico.&#8221;
Perhaps a worthy achievable goal for Mexican military fireworks is that it forces a sort of devil’s truce where the cartels, whose leaders are the most consummate and pragmatic of capitalists, ultimately agree to voluntarily quit fentanyl altogether as a good business decision — if the other drugs are allowed to roll in as usual. After all, when the operatives are shooting and dying, they’re spending rather than earning.
What seems certain, however, is that Trump’s inevitable following through on his campaign promises to suppress fentanyl ups the chances of a conflict between the Mexican military and the cartels. No doubt the cartels are now feeling uncharacteristically pinched these days on many other fronts thanks to Trump’s return. 
<div id="attachment_873425" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-873425" class="size-large wp-image-873425" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2198145991-864x576.jpg" alt="CIUDAD JUAREZ, MEXICO - FEBRUARY 06: Mexican National Guard patrol the U.S.-Mexico border on February 06, 2025 near Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Advance units of troops deployed to the border under orders of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on Mexican goods. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2198145991-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2198145991-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2198145991-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2198145991.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />John Moore/Getty Images</div>
Trump has asked his Secretary of State to designate them as foreign terrorist organizations, which would open authorities for America and its allies to seize assets and prosecute banks and people who work with the cartels on serious “material support” crimes. To isolate and weaken them where it counts, in the pocketbook, and disrupt their global operations.
And, of course, Trump has all but killed the biggest cash cow those cartels have seen in years by shuttering the southern border almost hermetically in a matter of days. Their smugglers are moving probably fewer than 500 illegal immigrants a day now, most of them caught and deported right away, compared to 14,000 a day last December. Those numbers are a catastrophe and should drive the cartels to invest everything they have in drug trafficking again.
Because they are now free from babysitting and processing illegal migrants all day long, Border Patrol is back on the drug traffickers full force and they have help, the U.S. military is down there glassing the landscape and using surveillance assets to spot the traffickers.
Some of the cartels were already so frustrated their leaders approved the use of drones to attack U.S. agents standing in the way of drug loads. Cases of firearms attacks on Border Patrol are rising.
Now Mexico’s going to put 10,000 troops in between them and their money?
If she is not already, Sheinbaum should be preparing for the worst right about now. President Trump absolutely expects some kind of real action — with demonstrable results — or else he’ll push that tariff button. She’s under pressure right now to produce something, anything, whether for show or not. And the cartels are ever ready to go to war.
Thanks to former President Joe Biden’s mass migration program, it could very well happen, because now the impulsive, brazen, money-hungry cartels are are extremely <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11563659/Mexicos-cartels-getting-rich-powerful-Bidens-mass-migration-crisis-TODD-BENSMAN.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">well-armed from the billions they all earned</a> over the past four years.
<div id="attachment_873427" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-873427" class="size-full wp-image-873427" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2198145781.jpg" alt="CIUDAD JUAREZ, MEXICO - FEBRUARY 06: Mexican National Guard troops patrol the bank of the Rio Grande at the U.S.-Mexico border on February 06, 2025 near Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Advance units of troops deployed to the border under orders of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on Mexican goods. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2198145781.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2198145781-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-2198145781-768x432.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />John Moore/Getty Images</div>
Sheinbaum undoubtedly discerns the dangers here and will have to tread carefully between appeasing Trump and sparking another all-out civil war, which many in the United States believe is long overdue. And maybe it is. She and all the cartel leaders would probably feel lucky to cap things down to merely a “splendid little war” like the 1898 Spanish-American war.
But President Trump knows the art of the deal often pivots on what’s good business for everyone involved.
Mexico’s 2006-2012 war shows the cartels will more than likely survive whatever fireworks are coming, if any. Trump may make them realize sooner rather than later that they just have to give up the fentanyl.
* * *
Todd Bensman is a Senior National Security Fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies and a two-time <a href="https://www.toddbensman.com/awards/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Press Club award winner.</a> He is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and a 23-year veteran newspaper reporter. He is the author of “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Americas-Covert-Border-War-Infiltration/dp/1642937258/ref=sr_1_2?crid=BP7S7BH2VBFB&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.O6ZnUZYfSlVsoiHcdjPhFHfMHLUTDwW2ZnKSAJboBbE5kdYf_h7sD08-h6YkTqOaoX3BwNswbUMPbnTbwQYA0OPgQiI3nLoLjosQWsEhFf5KFAPB4F0DTwUsSoJFgmaEF7V1rMQnOPvLvOLapFQ1ESD-D7UVwCNHsSGEs2XzEa9rmO1CLoVV277SrmlPOkJf.15UkCaAoqCyd7hpP16dl7D3_ZWawrd1RcN3D_ZSFo4w&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=todd+bensman&amp;qid=1730314546&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=todd+bensman%2Cstripbooks%2C100&amp;sr=1-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">America’s Covert Border War</a>,” and “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Overrun-Unleashed-Greatest-Border-History-ebook/dp/B0BS1R9LCP?ref_=ast_author_dp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Overrun: How Joe Biden Unleashed the Greatest Border Crisis in U.S. History</a>.”
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Mexican Military Deploys On US-Mexico Border Following Trump Tariff Threats

Will Mexico Face A Hot Shooting War With The Cartels?

The big story of the weekend was that President Trump launched massive tariffs on Canada, China, and Mexico. 
The big question when it comes to tariffs is whether President Trump is using them as leverage or whether he&#8217;s doing this ideologically. This is always the big question with President Trump, because by using them as leverage, he&#8217;s been quite successful. When it comes to making deals, there is no one in the business world who&#8217;s better at leverage than President Trump.
President Trump loves using leverage to get what he wants. He did this just a couple of weeks ago with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-goes-full-fafo">Colombia</a>. He threatened them with 25% tariffs and said they would escalate unless they took back illegal immigrants; they immediately caved. 
And that seems to be happening with Mexico and Canada. 
As of Monday, President Trump was sending some strong signals. He said, “Listen, I like tariffs. Tariffs are going out.”
When you&#8217;re playing chicken, you put a brick on the accelerator and say, “Listen, I&#8217;m perfectly happy to go off this cliff. Let&#8217;s do this thing, man. Let&#8217;s make it happen.”
Trump talks up tariffs as a way of saying, “Listen, I don&#8217;t mind, we&#8217;ll do it. You think we won&#8217;t do it? We will 100% do it. It&#8217;s not a bluff. I&#8217;m happy. I&#8217;d rather do it.” And then, when he gets what he wants, he can back off the tariffs.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/bss-ep-2130-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
We found out on Monday morning that the tariffs were anything but permanent. In fact, President Trump was able to leverage major concessions out of the Mexican government. 
Trump wrote on Truth Social:
<blockquote>I just spoke with President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico. It was a very friendly conversation wherein she agreed to immediately supply 10,000 Mexican Soldiers on the Border separating Mexico and the United States. These soldiers will be specifically designated to stop the flow of fentanyl, and illegal migrants into our Country. We further agreed to immediately pause the anticipated tariffs for a one month period during which we will have negotiations headed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent, and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and high-level Representatives of Mexico. I look forward to participating in those negotiations, with President Sheinbaum, as we attempt to achieve a “deal” between our two Countries.</blockquote>
Remember, President Trump used his emergency authority to stop fentanyl and all illegal immigration in order to make the tariffs happen. He&#8217;s now saying that because Mexico is alleviating the emergency, presumably this is going to be delayed by a month, so a new trade deal can be negotiated.
So it was all leverage. It was not, in fact, an overall love for tariffs.
Meanwhile, he made clear exactly what he wanted from Canada. He wrote:
<blockquote>Canada doesn’t even allow U.S. Banks to open or do business there. What’s that all about? Many such things, but it’s also a DRUG WAR, and hundreds of thousands of people have died in the U.S. from drugs pouring through the Borders of Mexico and Canada. Just spoke to Justin Trudeau. Will be speaking to him again at 3:00 P.M.</blockquote>
Using tariffs as a form of leverage is something President Trump is very good at.
As for overall tariff policy, it should be noted, trade wars are bad and not easy to win. Trade wars tend to impoverish people. Trade wars tend to impoverish the American consumer, in particular.
That’s why we saw the stock market take a dive at the very beginning of the day when it looked as though Trump was pushing tariff policy as a net good to the United States.
But it’s clear that President Trump is doing this as a leverage play.
The Canadian government responded by getting very militant. Justin Trudeau, who is still titularly the prime minister of Canada, announced <a href="https://x.com/JustinTrudeau/status/1885879140446011591" target="_blank" rel="noopener">retaliatory tariffs</a> right away, saying:
<blockquote>Tonight, I am announcing Canada will be responding to the U.S. trade action with 25% tariffs against $155 billion worth of American goods. This will include immediate tariffs on $30 billion worth of goods as of Tuesday, followed by further tariffs on $125 billion worth of American products in 21 days’ time to allow Canadian companies and supply chains to seek to find alternatives.</blockquote>
And then, on Monday afternoon, Trudeau suddenly capitulated. He <a href="https://x.com/JustinTrudeau/status/1886529228193022429">wrote on X</a>:
<blockquote>I just had a good call with President Trump. Canada is implementing our $1.3 billion border plan — reinforcing the border with new choppers, technology and personnel, enhanced coordination with our American partners, and increased resources to stop the flow of fentanyl. Nearly 10,000 frontline personnel are and will be working on protecting the border. In addition, Canada is making new commitments to appoint a Fentanyl Czar, we will list cartels as terrorists, ensure 24/7 eyes on the border, launch a Canada- U.S. Joint Strike Force to combat organized crime, fentanyl and money laundering. I have also signed a new intelligence directive on organized crime and fentanyl and we will be backing it with $200 million. Proposed tariffs will be paused for at least 30 days while we work together.</blockquote>
A trade war would hurt Canada more than it would hurt us; if they tariff American products, they&#8217;re taxing their own consumers.
But this is what happens in a trade war. You increase your tariffs. The other countries being targeted increase their tariffs to retaliate because they say, “We&#8217;re not going to let your goods in our market. You&#8217;re not letting our goods in your market.”
Then, if this sort of thing were to be carried out over a long period of time, it would be a real problem, because China, in particular, would be more than happy to fill that gap with cheap free trade with Canada, Mexico, or Europe.
But when it comes to playing chicken, President Trump is very, very good. Mexico is sending 10,000 troops to the border and pledging to stop the flow of fentanyl. Canada is now doing the same.
These are big wins for President Trump.
There&#8217;s no other way to put it.

President Trump Signs Executive Orders In The Oval Office

Trump: The Expert At Using Leverage

Ben Shapiro

Canada

Opinion

Trade networks in North America are under stress after Canada and Mexico promised to raise import duties on goods from the United States in response to tariffs from the same.
Though President Donald Trump promotes tariffs as an antidote to trade deficits and shrinking domestic industry, the budding trade war in North America has little to do with trade. Washington has accused its international neighbors of not doing enough to combat drug cartels and human traffickers, and that failure has had harmful spillover effects on the United States.
As a result, Trump has demanded Canada and Mexico crack down on cartels and illicit drug makers or suffer a 25% tariff on all exports to their number one trading partner, except for Canadian energy, which will be under a lesser 10% tariff. The tariffs, originally set to go into effect this week, are already being delayed.
Talks over the tariffs began on Monday with Trump speaking with Trudeau at least twice and Mexico now agreeing to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/03/trump-tariffs-mexico-canada-china-sheinbaum-responds.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">send up to 10,000 troops</a> to police its border with the U.S.
“Mexico sends [a] ton of fentanyl into our country. Canada has seen a massive increase in fentanyl trafficking across its border. There are three ways of stopping this. The first is [to] ask nicely, which we’ve done. It’s gone nowhere,” Vice President JD Vance posted on Sunday. “Now we’re on to the consequences phase.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Mexico sends ton of fentanyl into our country. Canada has seen a massive increase in fentanyl trafficking across its border. There are three ways of stopping this. The first is ask nicely, which we’ve done. It’s gone nowhere. 
Now we’re on to the consequences phase.
&mdash; JD Vance (@JDVance) <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance/status/1886093413113643160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Canada and Mexico coordinated over the weekend to announce their own plans for 25% retaliatory tariffs on a slate of American imports. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada would target $155 billion-worth of U.S. goods. The details of Mexico’s response have not been finalized, but officials are considering a carousel tariff that would rotate to different U.S. goods, according to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/economy/trade/canada-mexico-want-america-to-feel-the-pain-of-tariffs-too-f8119ccd?mod=hp_lead_pos1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Wall Street Journal</a>.
“The coming weeks will be difficult for Canadians, and they will be difficult for Americans. The level of cooperation, the level of effective partnerships between our two countries that have been established over decades and generations means that this trade action by the Americans and our response is going to have real consequences,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau <a href="https://x.com/JustinTrudeau/status/1885873761343480109" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> reporters.
Those consequences are projected to fall much more heavily on Canada and Mexico than the United States, an outcome that Trump likely intends to use as leverage in negotiations.
While the United States <a href="https://wits.worldbank.org/#" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sends</a> about a third of its exports to its northern and southern neighbors, Canada and Mexico send about 80% of their exports to the U.S. International trade also <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/02/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-imposes-tariffs-on-imports-from-canada-mexico-and-china/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">comprises</a> much larger portions of Canada’s and Mexico’s economies than the United States’.
If just the U.S. tariffs on Canada and Mexico were implemented, U.S. consumers would suffer an extra half-point of inflation over the next year, <a href="https://www.piie.com/microsites/2025/future-usmca" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to projections from the Peterson Institute for International Economics. The added inflation is likely to be concentrated in certain affected goods, such as fuel.
In contrast, Canada and Mexico would suffer an extra 1.7 and 2.3 points in inflation, respectively. The tariffs could also devastate some of their largest industries, such as vehicle manufacturing and oil and gas, because of the extent to which both countries rely on American markets.
The negative effects of tariffs projected by the Peterson Institute will be magnified with the addition of tariffs going from Canada and Mexico on exports from the U.S., according to experts.
To ratchet down trade tensions between the three countries that in 2019 signed the USMCA trade agreement, the White House has demanded action against drug trafficking and illegal immigration.
Mexico and its drug cartels are major pipelines for illegal drug smuggling and human trafficking into the United States. Canada has been, as well, to a much lesser extent. Trudeau appeared surprised that Trump initiated tariffs against Canada because of the flow of drugs and illegal immigration coming from Canada.
“We have one of the strongest, most secure borders between Canada and the United States. As I said, less than one percent of fentanyl going into the United States comes from Canada, less than one percent of illegal migrants going into the United States come from Canada,” Trudeau told reporters over the weekend.
The illicit movement and <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/fentanyl-produced-in-canada-1.7275200" target="_blank" rel="noopener">drugs</a> and <a href="https://cis.org/Bensman/Canadian-Policy-Behind-Surge-Illegals-and-Mexican-Cartel-Operatives-Northern-Border" target="_blank" rel="noopener">people</a> into the U.S. from Canada has surged in recent years, though it still remains low relative to the U.S. southern border.
Over the weekend, Trump and Vance have added on to the list of grievances with Canada its failure to meet NATO obligations on military spending and restrictions on imports from the U.S. as well as other issues.
&#8220;Canada has been very abusive of the United States for many years,” Trump <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-defends-tariffs-accuses-canada-being-very-abusive-united-states-video" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Saturday. “I love the people of Canada. I disagree with the leadership of Canada and something is going to happen there.”
The White House accused Mexico of collaborating with the drug cartels that operate widely throughout the country. The collaboration has been widely recognized in Washington, though a formal accusation against the Mexican government has not been made until now.
“The Mexican DTOs have an intolerable alliance with the government of Mexico. This alliance endangers the national security of the United States, and we must eradicate the influence of these dangerous cartels from the bilateral environment,” Trump’s February 1 <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/imposing-duties-to-address-the-situation-at-our-southern-border/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">order</a> directing tariffs on Mexico says.
“The government of Mexico has afforded safe havens for the cartels to engage in the manufacturing and transportation of illicit drugs, which collectively have led to the overdose deaths of hundreds of thousands of American victims,” the order continues.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called the White House’s accusation “slander,” <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mexico-us-claim-cartel-alliance-slander-vows-tariff-retaliation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to CBS News.
“If the United States government and its agencies wanted to address the serious consumption of fentanyl in their country, they can combat the sale of narcotics on the streets of their main cities, which they don&#8217;t do, and the money laundering generated by this illegal activity that has done so much harm to their population,” Sheinbaum said.

Trudeau Holds Press Conference As Trump Signs 25% Tariffs On Canada and Mexico

Everything You Need To Know About Trump’s Tariffs And The Brewing North American Trade War

Everything You Need To Know About Trump's Tariffs And The Brewing North American Trade War

Justin Trudeau

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