Washington:
As daybreak broke over the Mexican-US border on US President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day,” Raul Hernandez steered his semi-trailer carrying Toyota pick-up vehicles in the direction of California, frightened how tariffs would have an effect on him.
If Trump goes forward along with his plan to impose sweeping import duties and producers transfer their crops to the USA, many employees in Mexico will endure, he stated.
“Lots of people are going to lose their jobs right here if he does that,” the 37-year-old informed AFP, ready in a protracted queue to cross into San Diego.
Factories operated by international firms are very important for Mexican border cities like Tijuana and the armies of employees who preserve them working, Hernandez stated.
“They supply jobs. They help households. If the crops actually cease due to tariffs, it would harm Mexico and the Mexican folks,” he added.
Behind him within the queue, Omar Zepeda was additionally transporting Tacoma pick-up vehicles from a close-by Toyota plant.
Like Hernandez, he was nervous concerning the influence of tariffs.
“I feel there will likely be loads much less work for us as a result of the merchandise will turn into costlier and fewer folks will purchase them,” the 40-year-old stated.
“There is a motive why the crops are right here. Perhaps the individuals who work listed here are extra environment friendly and the labor is cheaper.”
– ‘Tough instances’ –
Mexico’s northern industrial borderlands are house to hundreds of factories because of tax breaks and free commerce agreements relationship again a number of a long time.
“Many of the households in Tijuana work in factories and transportation,” Zepeda stated.
“It is very unsure. We do not know what is going on to occur,” he added. “I feel tough instances are coming, however let’s wait and see.”
Taking a break from his work on the Toyota plant on the outskirts of Tijuana, Apolos Vela stated tariffs would deal a heavy blow throughout town.
“It’s worrying as a result of it will imply that many individuals could be left with out jobs ,” he stated.
– ‘Tragic for Tijuana’ –
In Mexican border cities like Tijuana, the place poverty and crime are part of on a regular basis life, it isn’t simply manufacturing facility and haulage employees who depend on cross-border commerce value a whole lot of billions of {dollars} a yr.
Promoting burritos to hungry truckers at her roadside stall subsequent to the border fence constructed to maintain out undocumented migrants, Charito Moreno stated tariffs would harm all of Tijuana if crops hearth employees.
“Everybody will depend on these companies. The week the tariffs have been launched, many individuals took day off, and that is why the economic system is slowing down,” the 44-year-old stated.
If firms heed Trump’s name to relocate from Mexico to the USA, “it will be tragic for Tijuana, as a result of many employees could be left with out jobs,” Moreno stated, urging the 2 nations to return to an settlement.
Leaping out of his truck carrying elements for swimming swimming pools in the USA to seize a burrito, Antonio Valdez stated truckers already had extra paperwork to cope with.
“A process used to take an hour. Now it takes all day to calculate and pay taxes,” he stated earlier than leaping again into his truck to move to the border.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated Wednesday she was engaged on a wide-ranging program of financial reforms in response to the tariffs.
“It is in our curiosity to strengthen the Mexican economic system,” she stated.
Trucker Alejandro Espinoza stated Mexico ought to hit the USA the place it hurts.
“In the event that they impose tariffs on us, we cannot ship them avocados and see what they do then,” he stated with a chuckle.
(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)