Wall Street Journal
January 20, 2026
Regarding the December 26 article,“The Unexpected Winner of Rising American Tariffs Is Mexico:”
In their recent article, Mr. Pérez and Mr. Harrup correctly observe that Mexican imports to the U.S. have grown under President Trump’s tariffs, a development that should surprise no one paying attention to longstanding trade patterns. The notion that Mexico’s growth under these policies is “unexpected” overlooks decades of history, a reality that reflects accelerated offshoring since NAFTA went into effect in 1994.
What is surprising, and left largely unaddressed by Pérez and Harrup, is how a trade agreement designed to strengthen North American production has been exploited by foreign countries beyond the continent, namely China. As illustrated by this article, nearly 85% of Mexico’s exports enter the U.S. tariff-free under the USMCA, and Mexico’s effective tariff rate is just 4.7% compared with China’s 37.1%. Thus, Mexico has become the natural landing place for adversarial manufacturers, whose products are often dumped and subsidized, seeking unfettered access to the U.S. market.
Rather than eliminate foreign cheating, vastly disparate and inconsistently enforced U.S. tariffs have simply redirected unfair trade practices as foreign companies move production, assembly, and final processing to Mexico to avoid steeper duties. NAFTA and USMCA have functioned less as a shield for North American trade than as a conduit through which foreign countries, particularly China, can maintain cheap U.S. market access, with Mexico a willing and well-rewarded beneficiary. For domestic industries like mine, the consequences are devastating.
Jason Weber
President of the Aluminum Extruders Council
