Any new tariffs on imports from Mexico will likely be felt in Washington state.
Last year, Mexico accounted for $1.53 billion in imports to Washington. That was up from $1.2 billion in 2017. It's the 5th largest import market at 2.8% of the share, according to census data.
President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he is slapping a 5% tariff on all Mexican imports to pressure the country to do more to crack down on the surge of Central American migrants trying to cross the U.S. border. The percentage will gradually increase "until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied."
Trump accused the Mexican government of failing to do enough to crack down on the surge of Central American migrants who have been flowing to the U.S in search of asylum from countries including El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala.
The announcement comes as the administration has been pushing for passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement that would update the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Counter tariffs by Mexico could have an ever deeper impact on Washington state.
In 2018, the state exported $2.1 billion worth of goods to Mexico, a 5.2% increase over 2017, according to census data.