Trudeau Pledged Tougher Border Enforcement During Trump Meeting
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged to tighten border security measures during his meeting with Donald Trump last week. The promise followed Trump’s warning that a 25-percent tariff on imports would be imposed unless action was taken.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who joined Trudeau and President-elect Trump at the head table, revealed that the two leaders discussed plans for enhancing border security, according to Reuters. “We’re going to look to procure, for example, additional drones, additional police helicopters, we’re going to redeploy personnel … we believe that the border is secure,” LeBlanc told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
“It’s important, I think, to show Canadians and the Americans that we’re stepping up in a visible and muscular way, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do,” he added, noting that more details would be shared in the coming days and weeks.
LeBlanc also emphasized the interconnected nature of the U.S. and Canadian economies, arguing that tariffs would negatively affect both countries. He pointed out that 75 percent of Canada’s exports are destined for the U.S. “I’m confident that the Americans will understand that it’s not in their interest … to proceed in this way,” he said, describing the dinner as cordial and the interactions between the leaders as amicable.
On Saturday, Trump described his meeting with Trudeau as “very productive,” citing discussions on border security, trade, and energy.
After the dinner, LeBlanc recounted that Trump personally escorted Trudeau to his vehicle and said, “Keep in touch. Call me anytime. Talk soon.”
While illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border have surged during President Joe Biden’s administration, there has also been a notable rise in illegal entries from Canada. During his campaign, Trump criticized the “open borders” policies and promised to reinstate his measures immediately upon returning to office, reversing Biden’s policies from his first day.
Trump also issued a 25-percent tariff warning to Mexico unless it took greater action to secure its borders. This approach led to constructive conversations with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
“There will be no potential tariff war,” Sheinbaum firmly stated during her daily morning briefing, as reported by Fox News.
On Wednesday, Trump announced that Sheinbaum had committed to curbing illegal immigration into the U.S. Sheinbaum later shared on social media that Mexico was managing migrant caravans and addressing issues before they reached the border.
“Just had a wonderful conversation with the new President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “She has agreed to stop Migration through Mexico, and into the United States, effectively closing our Southern Border. We also talked about what can be done to stop the massive drug inflow into the United States, and also, U.S. consumption of these drugs. It was a very productive conversation!”
In a follow-up post, Trump stated: “Mexico will stop people from going to our Southern Border, effective immediately. THIS WILL GO A LONG WAY TOWARD STOPPING THE ILLEGAL INVASION OF THE USA. Thank you!!!”
Sheinbaum, in a post on X, mentioned her phone discussion with Trump about enhancing security collaboration and described the conversation as “excellent.”
She also elaborated on Mexico’s “comprehensive strategy” for addressing migration, emphasizing the importance of respecting human rights. “Thanks to this, migrants and caravans are assisted before they reach the border,” she noted. “We reiterate that Mexico’s position is not to close borders but to build bridges between governments and between peoples.”
Looking ahead, Trump stressed the need to confront the issue of Chinese materials supplied to Mexican drug cartels, which are used to manufacture fentanyl—a substance responsible for over 100,000 American deaths annually.