Mayors from Mexico, the US, and Canada Warn of Tariff Risks

Meeting in Washington, D.C., mayors from the United States, Canada, and Mexico warned of the risks of imposing tariffs, as President Donald Trump intends, and demanded respect for the Free Trade Agreement (USMCA) and an end to the trade war.

In a joint statement following the 2025 Mayors’ Trade Summit, they highlighted the value of “fair trade” between the three nations and the high cost that tariffs represent for all. “Our communities will be the first to feel the impact,” they warned.

“Increasing tariffs only increase costs for businesses, workers, and consumers across North America. These taxes increase the cost of living, drain bank accounts, jeopardize supply chains and jobs, and disrupt local business activities that drive the economies of all three nations.”

Therefore, “as mayors of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, we urge national leaders to respect existing trade agreements,” they stated in that statement, in which they also emphasized that “our nations have no better trading partners, and when we trade under fair rules, as under the USMCA, all three benefit.”

They provided figures: In 2022, “with the strong support of the mayors of the three North American countries, 17 million jobs were created, a 23 percent increase compared to 2020.”

“We urge national leaders to prioritize our communities, end the trade war, and strengthen our countries through free and fair trade. Our families, businesses, and workers depend on it,” they emphasized in that joint statement signed by Andrew Ginther of Columbus and president of the United States Conference of Mayors, Rebecca Bligh of Vancouver, president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, and ten Mexican mayors.

Among the latter were the mayors of Ensenada, Piedras Negras, Pátzcuaro, Uruapan, Cuautepec, Cuautitlán, and Naucalpan, who, along with their counterparts from Canada and the United States, emphasized the need for policies that encourage investment and facilitate the efficient cross-border movement of goods and services to sustain economic prosperity and job creation.

During the summit, most expressed fear about rising prices and job losses due to the imposition of tariffs, but also “a true sense of unity and hope, which allows us to affirm that if we stand together, and we know we stand together, we are strong.”