Leaders of Canada and Mexico vow closer economic ties in the face of Trump trade uncertainty

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and President Claudia Sheinbaum promised Thursday to strengthen trade relations in the face of U.S. tariff threats and pushed to keep the most important free trade agreement in the Western Hemisphere alive in the lead-up to negotiations next year.

Their meeting came during Carney's first visit to Mexico as Canada's leader and at a moment of economic tension for the region. The two leaders shook hands and strode side-by-side into the presidential palace in Mexico City earlier in the day. Despite not being present, U.S. President Donald Trump and wider economic uncertainty were front and center in the visit.

“North America is the economic envy of the world, is the most competitive economic region of the world, and part of the reason for that is the cooperation between Canada and Mexico,” Carney said in a press conference following the meeting. “We complement the United States. We make them stronger. We are all stronger together.”

Key to Carney and Sheinbaum's meeting was the United States-Mexico-Canada trade pact, or USMCA, which is up for review in 2026.

Decades of free trade among the three nations has inextricably intertwined their economies: More than 75% of Canada’s exports and more than 80% of Mexico’s go to the U.S.

Trump’s ongoing and constantly evolving trade threats have put the countries’ political and business leaders on edge, as many scramble for more stable trade alternatives.

“Trump looms over this visit. Mexico and Canada now share a common threat from the U.S,” said Nelson Wiseman, professor emeritus at the University of Toronto.

On Thursday, Carney said he expects “much greater amounts of trade, much greater amounts of investment” between the Mexico and Canada. Sheinbaum said the two countries had agreed to a plan that what would “bring a new era of further strengthening economic ties” between the two nations.

Sheinbaum has said they want to increase bilateral trade in different sectors through the free-trade agreement and do so through maritime routes — which would avoid those goods having to pass through the United States.

Carney was also looking to improve relations with Mexico during his two-day visit after some of Canada’s provincial premiers talked last year about cutting Mexico out of any new free trade deal with the U.S.

Trump lumped Canada in with Mexico on fentanyl smuggling and promised sweeping tariffs on both countries. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said then that Trump comparing Canada to the Mexico was “the most insulting thing I’ve ever heard from our friends and closet allies, the United States of America.”

Canadian Sen. Peter Boehm, who represented the Canadian government when Sheinbaum was sworn in as Mexico’s president last year, said the comments by the premiers, which he deemed out of their lane, upset the Mexicans.

“The Mexicans are particularly sensitive on these matters and there was concern about that, no doubt,” Boehm, who has been pushing closer relations between the two governments, said.

He said relations recently improved, noting Mexico appreciated Carney inviting Sheinbaum to the G7 summit in Alberta in June.

On Thursday, the two leaders promised new rounds of bilateral meetings in the coming months, and greater collaboration on security issues, agriculture, energy, finance, health, the environment and more.

“At this hinge moment. Canada is deepening our relationships with our long-standing partners,” Carney said. “Mexico is central to those missions.”

Mexico is Canada’s third-largest trading partner after the U.S. and China. Canada was Mexico’s fifth-largest trading partner in 2024. But trade with the U.S. remains paramount for both countries and preserving the free trade pact will be critical.

Mexico and Canada have had different approaches to manage the negotiations with Trump’s administration but both countries want to increase bilateral commerce within the North American treaty.

Sheinbaum said the countries are already setting up teams and reviewing the agreement with the hopes of keeping trilateral free trade in place.

“Their priority is to strategize on how to deal with Trump and the coming renegotiation of the USMCA. Carney and Sheinbaum now recognize that tag-teaming Trump may be more effective than competing for separate deals with Trump, although they are still angling for them," said Wiseman, the professor.

That trade agreement has largely shielded the vast majority of Mexican and Canadian goods from the punishing duties. Canadian and Mexican companies can claim preferential treatment under the USMCA.

But Trump has some sector-specific tariffs, known as 232 tariffs, that are having an impact. There is a 50% tariff on steel and aluminum imports. Sheinbaum noted that the lack of tariffs on many goods was a sign of the economic ties between the countries, but noted she hoped to offset especially steel tariffs.

Despite that, Carney and Sheinbaum highlighted the importance of the U.S. and the importance of unity between the three countries. They dodged questions about provocations by Trump and any tensions with the American leader, threading the word “optimism” throughout the press conference.

“USMCA is a testament to if Mexico, Canada and the United States work together, we can create prosperity, face global challenges successfully and position ourselves as the most dynamic region in the world,” Sheinbaum said.

Gillies reported from Toronto. María Verza contributed to this report from Mexico City.

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, and Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum shake hands after a joint press conference at the National Palace in Mexico City, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, right, and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum are seen during an official welcome ceremony at the National Palace in Mexico City, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

Jesus Maria Tarriba, left, and Diana Fox Carney, right, look on as Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum presents a gift to Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney at the National Palace in Mexico City, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stand on the podium during an official welcome ceremony at the National Palace in Mexico City, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

Diana Fox Carney, right, and Jesus Maria Tarriba, left, look on as Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney presents Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum with a World Cup sweater before a meeting at the National Palace in Mexico City, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, right, presents Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum with an official World Cup soccer ball before they meet at the Palacio National in Mexico City, Thursday, Sep 18, 2025. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

Defense Minister Gen. Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, left, and President Claudia Sheinbaum look out at troops before the start of the annual Independence Day parade in the capital's main square, the Zocalo, in Mexico City, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney waves as he arrives in Mexico City, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney and his wife Diana Fox Carney are greeted by Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs Juan Ramon de la Fuente as they arrive in Mexico City, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)

President Claudia Sheinbaum speaks at the annual Independence Day military parade, in Mexico City, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Prime Minister Mark Carney delivers opening remarks at the Liberal caucus in Edmonton on Wednesday Sept. 10, 2025. (Amber Bracken/The Canadian Press via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments at 10 a.m. ET over the constitutionality of President Donald Trump’s order to end birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to someone in the country illegally or temporarily.

The birthright citizenship order, which Trump signed on Jan. 20, 2025, the first day of his second term, is part of his Republican administration’s broad immigration crackdown.

Trump plans to be in attendance. He will be the first sitting president to attend oral arguments at the nation’s highest court.

Every lower court to have considered the issue has found the order illegal and prevented it from taking effect. A definitive ruling by the nation’s highest court is expected by early summer.

Here’s the latest:

Way back in 1841, former President John Quincy Adams represented a shipload of African men and women who had been sold into slavery in the famous Amistad case.

Former President William Howard Taft became chief justice nearly eight years after leaving the White House in 1913. Charles Evans Hughes left the Supreme Court for a presidential run in 1912, which he nearly won, then returned to the court in 1930 as chief justice.

In 1966, Richard Nixon argued his only Supreme Court case, which he lost.

Twenty-four Democratic state attorneys general put out a statement Wednesday morning saying they’re “proud to lead the fight against this unlawful order.”

While Democratic attorneys general have sued the Trump administration scores of times, the plaintiffs in this case are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and other civil rights groups.

The Democratic attorneys filed court papers supporting their position. Twenty-five of their Republican counterparts filed a friend-of-the-court brief backing the Trump administration.

The only state sitting this one out is New Hampshire.

More than 250,000 babies born in the U.S. each year would not be citizens, according to research from the Migration Policy Institute and Pennsylvania State University’s Population Research Institute.

The order would only apply going forward, the administration has said. But opponents have said a court ruling in Trump’s favor could pave the way for a later effort to take away citizenship from people who were born to parents who were not themselves U.S. citizens.

The president and first lady Melania Trump showed up for the court ritual marking the arrival of a new justice following the confirmations of Justice Neil Gorsuch in 2017 and Justice Brett Kavanaugh a year later.

The ceremony for Trump’s third appointee, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, was delayed a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic and Trump, who was no longer in office, did not attend.

Traditionally the president has avoided attending arguments to maintain distance between the government branches — since the executive officer’s presence is seen by many as a way to pressure the independent court to rule in their favor.

Given the unusual nature of it all — Trump’s presence in the courtroom spotlights how high the stakes are for him, as the court’s decision will have massive consequences on his longstanding promise to crack down on immigration.

Last year, Trump said that he badly wanted to attend a hearing on whether he overstepped federal law with his sweeping tariffs, but he decided against it, saying it would have been a distraction.

Adam Winkler, a constitutional law professor at UCLA, told the The Associated Press that Trump’s attending SCOTUS oral arguments signals how important the president views this case.

However, Trump’s presence “is unlikely to sway the justices,” Winkler said, adding that the SCOTUS justices “pride themselves in their independence, even if some agree with much of Trump’s agenda.”

The fanfare of Trump being in the courtroom will make for a different experience for the justices themselves, however, as “Trump’s presence will make the atmosphere a little bit more circus-like,” Winkler said.

Solicitor General D. John Sauer is making his ninth Supreme Court argument and second in as many weeks. Sauer’s biggest win to date was the presidential immunity decision that spared Trump from being tried for his effort to overturn the 2020 election.

Sauer was a Supreme Court law clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia early in his legal career.

ACLU legal director Cecillia Wang, the child of Chinese immigrants, is presenting her second argument to the Supreme Court. In the first Trump administration, a 5-4 conservative majority ruled against Wang’s clients in another immigration case.

It’s not an April Fool’s joke. Alito was born this day in 1950. Only Thomas, who turns 78 in June, is older than Alito among the nine justices.

In the post-pandemic era, the other justices allow the 77-year-old Thomas, the longest-serving member of the court, to pose a question or two before the free-for-all begins.

In a second round of questioning, the justices ask questions in order of seniority. Chief Justice John Roberts, whose center chair makes him the most senior, gets the first crack.

The justices have routinely gone beyond the allotted time since returning to the courtroom following the Covid-19 pandemic.

A buzzer and the court marshal’s cry, “All rise,” signal the justices’ entrance from behind red curtains. The livestream won’t kick in for several minutes, until after the ceremonial swearing-in of lawyers to the Supreme Court bar.

FILE - The U.S. Supreme Court is seen in Washington on Feb. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

People arrive to walk inside the U.S. Supreme Court, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. The Supreme Court justices will hear oral arguments today on whether President Donald Trump can deny citizenship to children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)