Mexico Starts USMCA Review Amid Trump Tariff Threat

Mexico City — The Mexican government announced on Tuesday the formal commencement of an evaluation period for the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a preliminary step ahead of the treaty’s scheduled review in January 2026.

This action occurs amid heightened trade tensions fueled by the tariff policies of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has warned of potential levies on Mexican and Canadian exports if controls against drug trafficking and irregular migration are not intensified.

Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard announced that in the coming days, both Mexico and its trading partners will publish official notices regarding the consultation and evaluation mechanisms. These mechanisms are designed to identify the progress, challenges, and potential areas for improvement within the agreement, which has been in force since 2020.

“Following instructions from President Claudia Sheinbaum, we have begun, in coordination with the U.S. USTR and Canadian Trade authorities, public consultations for the revision of the USMCA. The guidelines will be published tomorrow in the Official Gazette of the Federation,” the secretary wrote on a social media post. Ebrard stated that representatives from Mexico, the United States, and Canada have been working in coordination to prepare the evaluation, as is legally required prior to the start of the treaty review.

He noted that the period between now and January will be used to assess the performance of the current trade agreement.

“Tomorrow, we’ll have the official gazette publication establishing how this will be done. We’re thinking of something very easy, very simple, very open. We’ll receive all kinds of comments online; you’ll see them there tomorrow. The intention is to evaluate and assess the progress made in this treaty, what revisions we can make, what we can add to make it better in the future,” he said.

The USMCA replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) after nearly three decades of operation, representing a modernization of trade rules that was demanded by Trump during his first term. However, upon his return to power in 2025, the Republican president has launched a global tariff war that is already affecting strategic exports such as steel, aluminum, and the automotive sector.

Trump maintains that the current terms of the USMCA are unfavorable to the U.S. economy and has conditioned the pact’s continuation on Mexico and Canada strengthening measures against irregular migration and drug trafficking.

The Mexican announcement comes just two days before the arrival of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who is scheduled to visit Mexico on Thursday and Friday for high-level meetings with President Claudia Sheinbaum. Priority topics for discussion are expected to include trade, strategic investments, and coordination in the face of U.S. protectionist policies.

The formal USMCA review is scheduled for January 2026 and is anticipated to be a key process for defining North America’s regional competitiveness relative to other economic blocs such as the European Union and the Asia-Pacific region.