President-elect Donald Trump threatens to hit Canada, Mexico and China with tariffs. He says they don’t seem to be doing sufficient to cease undocumented migrants and fentanyl smugglers from crossing into the U.S.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
President-elect, Donald Trump is threatening a 25% tariff on items from Canada and Mexico. And an additional 10% tariff could also be placed on gadgets from China.
ROB SCHMITZ, HOST:
In line with Trump, these nations will not be doing sufficient to cease undocumented migrants or fentanyl from crossing into the U.S. Whereas arrests of migrants have been on the rise on the northern border, there are a fraction of these on the southern border, the place apprehensions are at a four-year low.
MARTÍNEZ: NPR’s Brian Mann covers the fentanyl disaster, joins us now to check out Trump’s promise. Now, Brian, it is a social media publish proper now, not coverage fairly but. However what does Donald Trump say he hopes to perform with this risk?
BRIAN MANN, BYLINE: Yeah, you are proper, A. It is not clear Trump’s going to observe by on this. He does not take workplace for a few months. Numerous negotiations are going to occur earlier than then. What Trump mentioned in social media posts Monday is that these international locations aren’t doing sufficient to unravel what he describes as two of the largest issues hitting the U.S. – unlawful immigration and fentanyl, which continues to be killing tens of hundreds of individuals yearly. In line with Trump, Canada, China and Mexico may collectively simply remedy these issues. He added that when imposed, these tariffs would stay in place till medication, together with fentanyl, and unlawful aliens – these are his phrases – cease this invasion of our nation.
MARTÍNEZ: However may China and Mexico actually simply shut down fentanyl smuggling identical to that?
MANN: Yeah. Consultants I talked to say no. It is simply not attainable. Jonathan Caulkins, a drug coverage skilled at Carnegie Mellon College says fentanyl is simply very easy to make and smuggle.
JONATHAN CAULKINS: Sadly, it is fairly tough to manage fentanyl as a result of it is really easy for the unlawful provide chains to supply and distribute it.
MANN: Vanda Felbab-Brown is a drug coverage skilled on the Brookings Establishment, and she or he agrees – what Trump is demanding right here, it simply is not going to occur.
VANDA FELBAB-BROWN: That’s an unachievable purpose. No nation will accomplish that.
MANN: What consultants say is the best-case situation is that Trump’s threats right here immediate negotiations that perhaps result in higher cooperation on migrants and fentanyl with extra real looking targets.
MARTÍNEZ: OK, I am positive they’re all going to be speaking sooner or later. So how are these international locations responding to date?
MANN: Nicely, you recognize, first, it is essential to say, most fentanyl does enter the U.S. from Mexico, sometimes passing by official border crossings. Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum responded by saying yesterday, fentanyl is primarily a U.S. drawback, one which requires a well being care and remedy response, she says, to cut back habit. That is been Mexico’s place for years. She additionally advised U.S. tariffs linked to fentanyl may set off a full-blown commerce conflict.
One different concern I am listening to from drug coverage consultants is {that a} commerce battle may unravel what has been rising worldwide cooperation focusing on drug traffickers. Once more, this is Vanda Felbab-Brown at Brookings.
FELBAB-BROWN: Numerous Chinese language officers have informed me the counternarcotics cooperation wouldn’t be capable of survive an imposition of considerable tariffs.
MANN: So if this energy transfer by Trump does not work, we may see China and Mexico backing away from intelligence-sharing and different cooperation with U.S. legislation enforcement. That would imply much less strain on these gangs which can be smuggling fentanyl.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah. Brian, you have been reporting that the fentanyl disaster has been easing in current months with lots fewer individuals dying. So what does Donald Trump say about that?
MANN: Nicely, Trump hasn’t really acknowledged that progress. Writing on social media, he mentioned, we’re nonetheless seeing medication coming throughout the border, and I am quoting right here, “at ranges by no means seen earlier than.” In actual fact, there’s been an enormous constructive shift during the last 12 months. Deadly overdoses, together with fentanyl, are dropping quick – about 16,000 fewer deaths. Most consultants I discuss to who credit score higher well being care and remedy. And so they fear that Trump’s risk right here of a global drug and commerce conflict may very well be a distraction, pulling focus away from a public well being response that seems to be serving to.
MARTÍNEZ: That is NPR’s habit correspondent, Brian Mann. Brian, thanks.
MANN: Thanks, A.
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