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San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg joined Arlington Mayor Jim Ross to express concerns about the threats the Trump administration's tariffs pose to the Texas auto industry.
The 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico were expected to go into effect on Tuesday.
The mayor wrote in a letter to state senators that the tariffs jeopardize thousands of jobs in auto-manufacturing hubs in Texas, including in San Antonio.
Nirenberg said 3,700 people are employed to build Toyota Tundras and Sequoias in San Antonio and 5,600 Texans are employed with Toyota suppliers.
NPR reported on Monday that President Trump declared that he would slap 25% tariffs on imported goods from Canada and Mexico, after weeks of speculation that the threat would be lifted or the rate lowered.
NPR added that Trump said the tariffs would punish Canada and Mexico for fentanyl trafficking. But he also said the move would encourage car manufacturers and other businesses to move their production to the United States.
"I would just say this to people in Canada or Mexico: if they're going to build car plants, the people that are doing them are much better off building here, because we have the market where they sell the most," Trump told reporters at the White House.
The Port of Laredo, the busiest of the country's trade ports, has been on the front line of this tariff fight with Mexico. It averages more than 20,000 trucks crossings per day, carrying goods like automotive and computer parts and produce.
If the tariffs move forward, truck and warehouse traffic through Laredo and San Antonio will be an indicator of how long companies — and the general public — can weather the Trump tariffs before the chaos turns into lasting economic harm.
Trump is also set to add another 10% to tariffs on imports of Chinese goods, after initially applying tariffs of 10% last month.
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