EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — Whether President Donald Trump will renegotiate the country’s trade agreement with Mexico and Canada remains to be seen, but the threat is already affecting commerce on the border.
On Sunday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick confirmed that Trump intends to renegotiate the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement, which doesn’t expire until 2036.
USMCA replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement. Trump proposed it during his first term, and former Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau eventually agreed upon it.
Lutnick said Trump’s goal is to protect American jobs and bring back auto manufacturing to places like Michigan and Ohio.
However, USMCA has allowed some 150 plants across the border from El Paso, Texas, in Juarez, Mexico, that already manufacture parts and electric components for autos assembled in the U.S. to operate. Industry leaders worry a new deal will shut down some production lines in Mexico.
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In this episode of Border Report Live, correspondents Julian Resendiz and Salvador Rivera discuss how USMCA renegotiations are sending jitters through border communities that are already reeling from Trump administration tariffs. Plus, Trump is expected to add conditions that many business leaders can’t control, like stopping the flow of migration and drugs at the border.
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