💰Trump's 25% Tariffs on Canada and Mexico Begin Saturday: Economic Violence and the Fight for Justice in Border Communities
How Trump's new tariff policy on Mexico and Canada perpetuates colonial economic violence against marginalized communities.
😽 Keepin’ It Simple Summary for Younger Readers
👧🏾✊🏾👦🏾
Trump's new rules about buying things from Mexico 🇲🇽 and Canada 🇨🇦 will make stuff more expensive 🛍️ for everyone, mostly hurting families 👪 without a lot of money 💸. Even though he says it’s to stop drug problems 🚫💊, many believe this doesn’t really solve the issue and is just a way to keep hurting communities 🏘️ that have already been treated unfairly for a long time ⏳. People are standing up ✊ and fighting back 🔥, helping each other 🤝 to make sure their voices are heard 📣 and their needs are met ✅.
🗝️ Takeaways
💸 25% Tariffs: Trump's tariffs on Mexico and Canada are set to increase consumer costs significantly.
🤯 Economic Burden: Working-class families, especially in marginalized communities, will bear the brunt of these tariffs.
🚫 Smokescreen Narrative: The claim that these tariffs will combat drug trafficking oversimplifies a complex issue rooted in systemic poverty.
🌍 Community Resilience: Indigenous and Chicano communities are mobilizing resistance through solidarity and economic justice initiatives.
Borderlands Resistance: Trump's Tariff Tantrum and the Economic Violence of Colonial Capitalism
Maldito Trump's Latest Attack on Our Communities
Another day, another colonial hustle.
When I wake up and see the news about Trump's 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada, I can't help but laugh. Not because it's funny, but because the audacity of white supremacist economic violence never ceases to amaze me.
This isn't just an economic policy—it's a continuation of the same colonial project that has been destroying indigenous communities for centuries.
The Tariff Breakdown: Economic Warfare Dressed in Bureaucratic Language
Let's break this down for those who might not understand the full context.
President Trump announced that starting Saturday, February 1, 2025, there will be massive 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada—our closest trading partners and neighbors. But this isn't just about trade. It's never just about trade.
The official narrative? Combating illegal immigration and drug trafficking. Qué pendejada.
The Real Numbers
Total U.S. imports from Mexico and Canada in 2024: Approximately $1.4 trillion
Projected consumer cost increase: $46-78 billion
Average American household impact: $1,200-$1,700 in lost purchasing power
Who Actually Pays? A Lesson in Economic Violence
Spoiler alert: It's not the rich. It's never the rich.
The burden of these tariffs will fall squarely on working-class families, especially communities of color and indigenous populations. While MAGA-hat-wearing gringos celebrate, thinking this will "protect American jobs," economists are clear: these tariffs are a direct attack on working people.
Económicamente hablando (economically speaking), this is pure madness. The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), our current trade framework that Trump helped broker, is designed to facilitate free trade. These tariffs are a direct violation of that agreement—a diplomatic middle finger to our closest neighbors.
The Fentanyl Narrative: A Convenient Smokescreen
Trump claims these tariffs are about stopping drug trafficking. Let me laugh even harder.
The real issue of substance trafficking is far more complex than can be solved by economic punishment. It's about systemic poverty, lack of economic opportunities, and the violent war on drugs that has decimated communities on both sides of the border.
Personal Impact: More Than Just Numbers
In my community, these tariffs aren't abstract. They mean:
Higher prices for essential goods
Potential job losses in border industries
Increased economic instability for families already living on the margins
Y qué más? (And what else?) It's another reminder that the colonial project is alive and well, constantly finding new ways to extract wealth from marginalized communities.
The Resistance Continues
But here's the thing about indigenous and Chicano communities: we don't just survive. We resist.
How to Get Involved:
Support Border Community Organizations
Donate to local mutual aid networks
Amplify Indigenous voices
Challenge racist narratives about immigration and trade
Economic Solidarity
Buy from local, community-owned businesses
Support cross-border economic initiatives
Educate yourself and others about true economic justice
Political Action
Contact your representatives
Participate in local community meetings
Build intersectional solidarity networks
Final Thoughts: Esperanza Never Dies
They think they can break us with their policies? Joke's on them.
Our communities have survived centuries of colonial violence. A few tariffs won't stop our resilience, our creativity, our poder (power).
Your Turn, Community
Drop a comment below:
How are these tariffs impacting your community?
What strategies of resistance are you seeing locally?
La lucha continúa (The struggle continues) 🔥✊🏽
Solidarity Always, Your Borderlands Blogger
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I want to know about what the Government is going to do FEBRUARY 2nd , not in MARCH. Tariffs goes both ways. Increase the costs of Hydro to the U.S ( Make Americans pay more to keep the lights on.). Put a SURTAX ON POTASH GOING TO AMERICA ( Increase costs to AMERICAN FARMERS) A SURTAX ON OIL& LNG to bring the prices of CANADIAN OIL& LNG to WORLD MARKET PRICES ( no more discounts). Increase DUTIES OF AMERICAN GOODS BEING BROUGHT IN BY VACATIONING/CROSS BORDER SHOPPING CANADIANS WITH NO RESTRICTIONS ON TIME SPENT IN THE U.S.
CANADIAN CURRENCY ONLY ,NO AMERICAN CURRENCY TO BE USED BY AMERICAN TOURISTS WHEN IN CANADA ( no GST/HST REBATES). American Tariffs on Canada is a Direct Threat to our ECONOMIC SECURITY,SOVEREIGNTY AND NATIONAL SECURITY.
Re: the last comment. Arent Teslas and many automobiles that we sell made in mexico? And how does raising taxes on the poor, basically, fight fentanyl? Will it too be 25 % more expensive. I don’t see the connection.