by WorldTribune Staff, February 27, 2025 Real World News
Tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico will move forward on March 4 and an additional 10% levy will be placed on imports from China, President Donald Trump said on Thursday.
In a post to Truth Social, Trump framed his decision as a response to “unacceptable levels” of drugs, supplied by China, coming into the U.S. from Canada and Mexico.
“We cannot allow this scourge to continue to harm the USA, and therefore, until it stops, or is seriously limited, the proposed TARIFFS scheduled to go into effect on MARCH FOURTH will, indeed, go into effect, as scheduled,” Trump wrote.
Trump also tightened immigration policies, ordering the creation of a registry for illegal aliens to submit their personal information or face fines and prison time, and revoking a Biden-era license allowing Chevron to produce oil in Venezuela over what he said was dictator Nicolas Maduro’s failure to assist in deporting migrants.
Trump indicated in a press briefing on Wednesday that he would soon announce 25% tariffs on imports of cars and other goods from the European Union. He also reiterated that April 2 would be the implementation date for his reciprocal tariff policy, a vow he repeated again Thursday.
Trump originally ordered 25% import taxes on Canada and Mexico to go into effect Feb. 4 but delayed implementation following agreements by both countries to address fentanyl trafficking.
In the post to Truth Social, Trump stated:
Drugs are still pouring into our Country from Mexico and Canada at very high and unacceptable levels. A large percentage of these Drugs, much of them in the form of Fentanyl, are made in, and supplied by, China. More than 100,000 people died last year due to the distribution of these dangerous and highly addictive POISONS. Millions of people have died over the last two decades. The families of the victims are devastated and, in many instances, virtually destroyed. The April Second Reciprocal Tariff date will remain in full force and effect. Thank you for your attention to this matter. GOD BLESS AMERICA!
On the immigration front, Trump said those in the country illegally including children 14 and older would be required to submit fingerprints and home addresses to the newly-created registry, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Illegals who qualify but fail to register could be fined up to $5,000 and sentenced to up to six months in prison.
“Aliens in this country illegally face a choice,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote in a memo describing the new policy. “They can return home and follow the legal process to come to the United States or they can deal with the consequences of continuing to violate our laws.”
The registry requires anyone in the country illegally who hasn’t interacted with the government, such as by applying for asylum or a work permit, to come forward.
Immigrants who overstay their visas or are in deportation proceedings wouldn’t need to register, as the government already has their information, though they would be required to submit any changes of address.
On the Venezuela front, Trump said Chevron’s license to pump oil in the socialist nation will be terminated as of March 1, requiring the company to wind down its operations within months. Secretary of State Marco Rubio later said in a post on X that in light of the president’s directive, he was issuing “foreign policy guidance to terminate all Biden-era oil and gas licenses that have shamefully bankrolled the illegitimate Maduro regime.”
In 2022, Joe Biden granted Chevron an exception to American sanctions to pump in Venezuela.
“We are aware of today’s announcement and are considering its implications,” Chevron spokesman Bill Turenne said. “Chevron conducts its business in Venezuela in compliance with all laws and regulations, including the sanctions framework provided by U.S. government.”
Trump’s announcement came just as son Donald Trump Jr. was recording a podcast with Venezuela’s opposition leader, María Corina Machado, who has been living in hiding in Venezuela to avoid arrest since leading an effort last year to challenge Maduro’s claims of winning re-election. The U.S. and many of its allies say he lost and recognize his rival Edmundo Gonzalez as the country’s rightful president.
“My father just revoked the Biden-era oil licenses funding Maduro’s corrupt illegitimate regime,” Trump Jr. said.
“Wow, I’m just learning about it,” Machado said during the podcast. “This is proof for me that President Trump is on the side of the Venezuelan people, of democracy and prosperity for the U.S. and for Venezuela as well,” she said.
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