NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump threatened to impose sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China as soon as he takes office as part of his effort to crack down on illegal immigration and drugs. He said he would impose a 25% tax on all products entering the country from Canada and Mexico, and an additional 10% tariff on goods from China, as one of his first executive orders.

The tariffs, if implemented, could dramatically raise prices for American consumers on everything from gas to automobiles to agricultural products. The U.S. is the largest importer of goods in the world, with Mexico, China and Canada its top three suppliers, according to the most recent U.S. Census data.

In 2022, Mexico supplied 51% of fresh fruit and 69% of fresh vegetables, by value, imported into the U.S., while Canada supplied 2% of fresh fruit and 20% of fresh vegetables.

The price increases could also collide with Trump’s campaign promise to give American families a break from high food prices, a major issue in voters picking him over Vice President Kamala Harris.

The Produce Distributors Association, a Washington trade group, said Tuesday that tariffs will raise prices for fresh fruit and vegetables and hurt U.S. farmers when other countries retaliate.

Trump made the threats late Monday in a pair of posts on his Truth Social site in which he railed against an influx of migrants crossing into the U.S. illegally.

“On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders,” he wrote, complaining that “thousands of people are pouring through Mexico and Canada, bringing Crime and Drugs at levels never seen before,” even though violent crime is down from pandemic highs.

The most recent U.S. numbers for October show arrests at near four-year lows, with U.S. Border Patrol making 56,530 arrests in October, less than one third of the tally from October last year.

Meanwhile, arrests for illegally crossing the border from Canada have been rising over the past two years. The Border Patrol made 23,721 arrests between October 2023 and September 2024, compared with 10,021 the previous 12 months. More than 14,000 of those arrested on the Canadian border were Indian — more than 10 times the number two years ago.

Trump also said the new tariffs would remain in place “until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!”

“Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long simmering problem. We hereby demand that they use this power,” he went on, “and until such time that they do, it is time for them to pay a very big price!”

A senior Canadian government official said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Trump spoke after Trump’s posts. The two spoke about the border and trade and had a good conversation, the official said. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Later Tuesday, however, some Canadian officials blasted Trump’s threat, with the leader of the country’s most populous province calling the president-elect’s comparison of Canada to Mexico “the most insulting thing I’ve ever heard.”

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said: “I found his comments unfair. I found them insulting. It’s like a family member stabbing you right in the heart,” adding that Canada will have no choice but to retaliate.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum also suggested Tuesday that her nation could retaliate with tariffs of its own.

Sheinbaum said she was willing to engage in talks on the issues, but noted that drugs were a U.S. problem.

She said Mexico had done a lot to stem the flow of migrants, noting “caravans of migrants no longer reach the border.” However, Mexico’s efforts to fight drugs like the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl — which is manufactured by Mexican cartels using chemicals imported from China — have weakened in the last year.

Sheinbaum said Mexico suffered from an influx of weapons smuggled in from the United States, and said the flow of drugs “is a problem of public health and consumption in your country’s society.”

Sheinbaum also criticized U.S. spending on weapons, saying the money should instead be spent regionally to address the problem of migration. “If a percentage of what the United States spends on war were dedicated to peace and development, that would address the underlying causes of migration,” she said.

In the part of Trump’s post directed his ire at China, the president-elect said he has “had many talks with China about the massive amounts of drugs, in particular Fentanyl, being sent into the United States — But to no avail.”

The Chinese Embassy in Washington cautioned on Monday that there will be losers on all sides if there is a trade war.

“China-US economic and trade cooperation is mutually beneficial in nature,” embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu posted on X. “No one will win a trade war or a #tariff war.” He added that China had taken steps in the last year to help stem drug trafficking.

It is unclear whether Trump will actually go through with the threats or if he is using them as a negotiating tactic before he returns to the White House in the new year.