in Otay Mesa last August. (Photo courtesy of CBP)
President Trump has justified tariffs on Canadian imports in part as a way to force Canada to crack down on smuggling and tighten security at the vast norther border of the United States.
The neighbor to the north, he said, must “stop this invasion of our country” with “drugs and illegal aliens.”
The smuggling problem at the southern border is well established. But official data from both sides of the U.S.-Canada border shows a dramatically smaller problem. Last year, U.S. authorities intercepted 21,148 pounds of fentanyl coming from Mexico and just 43 pounds from Canada.
“It’s completely false,” said Mark Weber, national president of the Canadian Customs and Immigration Union, which represents staff and officers of the Canada Border Services Agency, referring to allegations that Canada is a major source of the U.S. fentanyl problem. “There is some from Canada … but it’s really comparing a glass of water to an ocean.”
Even so, Trump and his aides have kept the focus on allegations of fentanyl smuggling from Canada as the main motivation for tariffs.
“We launched a drug war, not a trade war,” Kevin Hassett, the director of the White House National Economic Council, said last Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” “They are a major source” of fentanyl.
“And I can tell you that in the situation room, I’ve seen photographs of fentanyl labs in Canada that the law enforcement folks were leaving alone,” he said.
Last week, the White House reported that fentanyl seizures at the northern border in the first four months of the current fiscal year is “quickly closing in on what was seized the entirety of fiscal year 2022.”
That’s true — and misleading.
U.S. authorities seized 10 pounds of fentanyl from October through January coming from Canada, according to Customs and Border Patrol data, compared to 14 pounds for all of 2022. Still, that’s millions of doses and as little as 2 milligrams can be deadly — about the same as a few grains of sand.
But compare that to the southern border, where the U.S. intercepted 14,104 pounds of fentanyl in 2022 and 5,412 pounds since October.
In 2023, the U.S. seized 26,718 pounds of fentanyl coming from Mexico — and just 2 pounds coming from Canada.
“Our border is secure,” said former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a news conference last week. “Less than 1% of the illegal fentanyl that comes into the United States comes from Canada.”
Canadians also have cause to complain about smuggling.
Last year, Canada Border Services Agency caught more than 5,000 pounds of cocaine coming from the U.S., while their American counterparts intercepted far less — 2,000 pounds — coming south.
U.S. authorities seized 229 illegal weapons at the northern border last year, while Canada stopped about 28,000.
“When there is a crime committed with an illegal firearm, they’re almost always traced back to the United States,” Weber said.
Mexican authorities have long leveled the same complaint. Cartels get most of their guns in the U.S., fueling violence in Mexico and helping them flourish.
Victor Manjarrez Jr., former U.S. Border Patrol chief agent in El Paso, Texas, and Tucson, said the flow of weapons from the U.S. is a problem for both Mexico and Canada, just as narcotics from the south and marijuana from the north are problems for the U.S.
He lamented the souring of the close relationship with Canada since Trump took office less than two months ago. Information sharing and collaboration between law enforcement agencies has been valuable for both countries, he said.
“Ultimately, we have to do more,” he said. “You have to strengthen security but the problem is that here in the U.S. we have drug problems. We have a drug demand. We haven’t addressed that in decades.”
Early in trade talks with Trump, Trudeau promised a $1.3 billion plan to improve border security. Trump temporarily backed down. But the truce fell apart, and the trade war has been escalating.
On Tuesday, Ontario announced and then suspended a 25% surcharge on electricity sold to New York, Minnesota and Michigan. The province’s premier threatened to cut off the power entirely if Trump slaps tariffs on more Canadian products.
Trump then threatened tariffs on imported Canadian power and said he would double the tariffs on Canadian aluminum and steel — though he pulled back on that threat a few hours later.
“The tariffs are off and then they’re on and then they’re off again. … It’s like watching a little kid have a temper tantrum in a grocery store,” Weber said before that volley of threats. “Canadians are usually and generally easygoing. … I’ve seen a lot of hurt and anger.”
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is 50 times stronger than heroin. It’s the leading cause of overdose deaths in the U.S., according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
The number of fatal overdoses began rising sharply in 2015. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 84,334 deaths in the 12 months ending in September 2024 nationwide — down by a quarter from the peak two years ago.
At the White House, press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked at the daily briefing on Tuesday whether Trump still views Canada as an ally.
“Canada is a neighbor. They are a partner. They have always been an ally. Perhaps they are becoming a competitor now,” she said.
Then she reiterated Trump’s view that Canada should become the 51st state, an idea that many Canadians view as an insult.
Canada has 41.6 million people, according to official statistics. That’s more than any U.S. state.
Four of the 10 Canadian provinces are bigger than half the U.S states. Ontario alone has more people than all but four states.
This article was produced by Cronkite News at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.