Pritzker hopes trade mission to Mexico sparks new investment despite
tariffs
[April 03, 2025]
By Ben Szalinski
Gov. JB Pritzker wrapped up a four-day trip to Mexico City on Wednesday,
hopeful a trade mission to Mexico will yield new economic development in
Illinois, even as tariffs threaten the stability of the United States’
global trade.
Speaking to reporters on a call Wednesday, Pritzker outlined a series of
meetings he had with Mexican business leaders exploring setting up new
operations in Illinois.
But Pritzker’s trip concluded just as Trump was set to announce new
tariffs on goods and countries around the world.
“Here in Mexico, there is deep concern,” Pritzker said. “Let’s start
with just the concern that the tariffs seem so broad-based and not well
negotiated or thought out that they will potentially destroy some
businesses in Mexico that U.S. companies rely upon.”
Pritzker said Mexican officials told him and others in Illinois’
70-person delegation that businesses need stability and certainty about
America’s trade policy.
“Over the past few days, I’ve heard a consistent message from Mexican
public officials and business leaders and the business owners that the
U.S. federal government must reestablish stability and consistency in
the U.S.-Mexico relationship,” Pritzker said.
Pritzker acknowledged tariffs could hurt Illinois’ business recruitment
efforts as well.
“The uncertainty that we’ve heard over and over again in the discussions
with our Mexican counterparts is going to lead to them pulling back,”
Pritzker predicted about the tariffs.
Even existing Illinois businesses such as auto manufacturers Ford, Stellantis and Rivian will be harmed by tariffs on auto parts, the
governor argued. President Donald Trump is hoping the tariffs will
encourage businesses to set up more operations in the United States to
avoid the tariffs.
Pritzker said tariffs can be effective when they’re “targeted” to
balance out trade deficits, but the wide scope of Trump’s plan will just
end up costing Americans more and injecting more uncertainty into
businesses.
“When you talk about raising tariffs, to say you’re going to put a
tariff on everything from a country doesn’t take into account that
you’re trying to have some specific outcomes,” Pritzker said. “Not to
raise costs and inflation on American families, but rather to perhaps
equalize trade deficits. And you can do that with, again, a targeted
focus on a product or a set of products.”
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Gov. JB Pritzker, left, shakes hands with Mexico state Gov. Delfina
Gómez Álvarez, right, after the two states signed a memorandum of
understanding. (Photo provided by Gov. JB Pritzker’s office)
Pritzker signed a cooperation agreement with Mexico state Gov. Delfina
Gómez Álvarez on Monday that emphasizes the strong ties between Illinois
and Mexico and encourages cooperation on key industries for both
governments in areas such as manufacturing, agriculture and finance.
Illinois has had a long relationship with Mexico in the years since Gov.
Jim Thompson signed the first bilateral agreement between the state of
Illinois and state of Mexico in 1990, which was reaffirmed by Gov. Pat
Quinn in 2013.
Mexico was Illinois’ second-largest export market in 2024 with $32
billion worth of goods being sent to the country. Another $19 billion
worth of Mexican goods came to Illinois that year, making the country
Illinois’ third-largest import market.
Latinos have also been the state’s fastest-growing population in recent
decades — up 45% since 2000, according to research by the University of
Illinois Chicago.
The Illinois delegation met with energy companies interested in
establishing production facilities in Illinois and a retail business
trying to grow their presence in Mexican American communities, among
others, Pritzker said.
Pritzker’s trip to Mexico City is the latest international economic
development trip the governor has taken since he took office in 2019.
Other trips have included Canada, Japan and the United Kingdom.
“I’ve made international trade missions a central part of my economic
mission,” Pritzker said. “It is part of my job as governor to be the
chief marketing officer for Illinois and to pitch companies and
investors on why Illinois is the best state in the U.S. to do business
in.”
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coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily
by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
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