Mexico City – Mexico’s Economy Secretary, Marcelo Ebrard, called for “prudence” Friday following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to invalidate portions of former President Trump’s tariff policies, including levies imposed on goods from Mexico, China, and Canada. Ebrard emphasized the need to assess Washington’s next steps and their potential impact on the nearly $1 trillion in annual two-way trade between the two countries.
“We have to see where this is going,” Ebrard told reporters. “We have to see what measures [Washington] is going to take to figure out how This proves going to affect our country.” He urged a measured response, advising, “I tell you to put yourselves in Zen mode. As tranquil as possible.”
The Supreme Court ruling struck down tariffs that Trump had justified under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), a law intended for genuine national emergencies. The court found that the Trump administration had improperly invoked IEEPA to impose broad tariffs based on issues like fentanyl imports and trade imbalances. Among the tariffs invalidated were reciprocal levies of 25% to 50% on a range of Mexican exports, including energy products, automobiles, auto parts, steel, and aluminum.
The decision also voided so-called “fentanyl tariffs” targeting Mexico, China, and Canada, which were implemented in an attempt to compel those nations to increase efforts to curb the flow of the synthetic opioid into the United States.
While the ruling represents a setback for the tariffs championed by the former president, Trump indicated Friday that he intends to pursue alternative legal avenues to reimpose them. This prospect has heightened concern in Mexico, despite the fact that approximately 85% of Mexican exports to the U.S. Are already exempt from tariffs due to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum addressed the ruling briefly during her daily press conference, stating that her administration would “review the resolution carefully and then gladly give our opinion.” She offered no immediate assessment of the court’s decision.
Ebrard is scheduled to travel to the United States next week to seek clarification on the implications of the ruling and to advocate for Mexico’s interests. Last year, Ebrard successfully navigated a threat from Trump to impose a 25% tariff on all Mexican imports, averting a potential trade war.
The USMCA agreement, which replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), is slated for a joint review starting July 1, six years after its initial signing during Trump’s first term in office. The outcome of that review, and the potential for renewed tariff disputes, remains uncertain.
Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament’s International Trade Committee, commented on the ruling via X, stating, “The justices have shown that even a US president does not operate in a legal vacuum. Legal boundaries have been set, the era of unlimited, arbitrary tariffs may now be coming to an end.” Canada’s trade minister, Dominic LeBlanc, also posted on X, reinforcing Canada’s long-held position that the IEEPA tariffs imposed by the United States were “unjustified.”
