Gov JB Pritzker is wrapping up a four-day trip to Mexico City as he tries to bolster economic partnerships, even as Mexico prepares to be a target for Trump administration tariffs.
In a trip that began Saturday and ends Wednesday, Pritzker, along with First Lady MK Pritzker, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and 69 other members of the Illinois delegation met with more than 100 representatives from more than 50 major Mexican companies about bringing operations to Illinois.
The trip was planned before President Donald Trump on Inauguration Day called for tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada and China on Feb. 1. The tariff plan for Mexico and Canada was delayed until April 2. But Trump has branded Wednesday as “Liberation Day,” a day in which he planned to announce tariffs that will impact Mexico and Canada.
During a media call Wednesday morning, Pritzker said the Illinois delegation, which also included elected officials and business leaders, met with a large group of site selectors about the state’s electric grid, transportation distribution and logistics capabilities, as well as the state’s infrastructure.
Pritzker signed an addendum to the Illinois-Mexico Sister-State Memorandum of Understanding alongside State of Mexico Governor Delfina Gómez Álvarez that re-emphasizes the strong ties between the two entities.
Pritzker said he’s calling for economic cooperation with Illinois, even amid ongoing tariff threats. But he said the tariffs are a “deep concern” for Mexican companies.
“Tariffs are really a tax on working families. They’re not good for the economy, and these broad-based tariffs are very challenging and may lead to a recession in the United States,” Pritzker said. “…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 on making investments, and potentially pulling back on providing the supply items that our U.S. businesses need. So I would say there is a great deal of concern.”
Pritzker said the delegation could not “allay those concerns.”
“What we could do was remind them that in Illinois, we are a stable and reliable trade partner in Illinois and that when things settle down, that it will do well for them to do business with our companies in Illinois, some of whom are represented in our delegation,” Pritzker said.
Pritzker’s Mexico trip marks the latest in his economic development travels. Last year, he led a trade mission to Japan with 49 top administration officials and business leaders, including former Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who at the time was U.S. ambassador to Japan.
The Democratic governor took a four-day mission trip to Canada in June 2024, and spent seven days in Great Britain in 2023. He also traveled to Davos, Switzerland, in January 2023 to speak at the World Economic Forum and promote the state’s achievements.