The Wall, the Tariffs, and the Trade Deal: Mexico Faces a Trumpian Reckoning
Mexico faces a turbulent future with Trump's presidency, as trade policy intertwines with migration and security. The US-Mexico economic interdependence creates potential economic costs. The upcoming review of the USMCA in 2026 could be a point of major tension.
In the shadow of Donald Trump’s renewed political ascension, the dynamics of U.S.-Mexico relations are poised to enter an era fraught with tension, recalibration, and high-stakes diplomacy. According to Mariana Aparicio Ramírez, an academic from UNAM’s Faculty of Political and Social Sciences, this “second stage” of Trump’s influence on Mexico will see trade policy inextricably linked to thorny issues such as migration, security, fentanyl trafficking, and human smuggling.
For Mexico, this new chapter could bring a cascade of challenges: mass deportations, human rights violations, family separations, and perhaps the resumption of debates over Trump’s symbolic — and divisive — border wall. “Trump will have the conditions to carry out immigration reform if he so wishes,” Aparicio Ramírez explained during a podcast hosted by Construyendo el Debate.
