Residents, business owners and political leaders in Laredo, Texas are bracing for President Trump’s implementation of a 5% tariff on all goods coming
Residents, business owners and political leaders in Laredo, Texas are bracing for President Trump’s implementation of a 5% tariff on all goods coming from Mexico that would begin June 10th.
The president said the tariff will gradually increase to 25% if Mexico doesn’t do more to stop the flow of illegal immigration into the U. S.
Ernesto Gaytan Jr. is the general manager of Super Transport International in Laredo, a company founded by his father almost 30 years ago in Mexico.
“Laredo exists because of its location and the closeness we have with Mexico,” he said.
Gaytan, wearing a black fitted suit in 90 degree Texas heat, toured his company’s operations field.
“This is where a lot of the transloads happen,” said Gaytan. “We move materials from a trailer coming in from the United States into Mexico. We transfer freight from a U. S. carrier to a Mexico carrier, or from a Mexican carrier to a U. S carrier.”
Mexico recently surpassed China and Canada as America’s top trading partner, which helped catapult Laredo past Los Angeles to become the number one port in the country. About $20 billion worth of goods flowed through during the month of March — mostly automotive parts.
Gaytan said the tariff could impact his trucking company and jobs across the country.
“There are some companies that 5% is what their margin is going to be, so you’re talking about companies that are not going to be able to ship anymore,” said Gaytan.
