Mexico targets irregular steel and textile imports in push to protect domestic industry

Mexican officials announced a crackdown connected unauthorized alloy and textile imports and stated caller plans to spur economical maturation connected Monday. 

During President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Monday property conference, Finance Minister Edgar Amador announced plans to summation the nationalist contented of authorities purchases by 10% and commercialized retired 10% of its manufacturing imports.

“Government purchases correspond adjacent to 11% of Mexico’s Gross Domestic Product,” Finance Minister Edgar Amador said connected Monday. Therefore, a 10% summation successful authorities purchases from home suppliers would person a marked impact. (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)

The program could enactment an yearly GDP summation of 0.7% and assistance make 700,000 jobs, said Amador.  

The determination follows United States President Donald Trump’s introduction of 25% tariffs connected each alloy and aluminium imports to the U.S. connected March 12, including from countries enactment to a escaped commercialized agreement. 

In the archetypal 4th of 2025, the Mexican system grew by 0.2% compared to the past 3 months of 2024, reversing a 0.6% contraction successful the last 4th and avoiding a method recession. 

Mexico cracks down connected unauthorized alloy and textile imports 

Officials reviewed a database of 2,233 alloy mills approved to import products into Mexico and canceled the registration of 1,062 of them (48%) owed to irregularities and inconsistencies.

“Right now, we person unit successful astir six countries astir the world, the furthest distant being Malaysia, conducting inspections,” Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said. 

All alloy mills seeking to export goods to Mexico indispensable registry with the Economy Ministry for appraisal and approval.

Additionally, the national Manufacturing, Maquiladora and Export Services Industry (IMMEX) program, which allows companies to temporarily import products to Mexico that volition beryllium instantly exported to overseas markets, recovered 8 textile companies — 5 textile and 3 footwear — that were utilizing the inaugural to illegally import products without exporting them, arsenic they claimed, said Ebrard.  

“They ne'er exported anything; they were deceiving the government, truthful enactment has been taken,” said Ebrard. 

“Right now, we person unit successful astir six countries astir the world, the furthest distant being Malaysia, conducting inspections” of alloy mills, Ebrard said connected Monday. (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro)

“There volition beryllium consequences, including canceling the customs agencies, of which determination are five. They are presently successful the process of canceling them and freezing the accounts of those involved,” helium stated.

The companies are present nether probe for transactions totalling 24 cardinal pesos (US $1.2 billion).  

Ebrard announced a gathering betwixt the textile and apparel manufacture chambers, arsenic good arsenic nationalist and overseas companies, connected May 14 to code the issue.

The authorities besides plans to instrumentality terms notation points for imports of furniture, toys, sports equipment, insubstantial and cardboard, Ebrard said.  

“Many times, (importers) springiness america a terms that’s beneath marketplace value,” stated Ebrard. “That’s wherefore we’re rolling retired notation prices, truthful you can’t state a terms below.”

With reports from Reuters, Animal Político and El Economista