Assistant Professor Desirée LeClercq has provided insights on the potential changes in international trade under the new Trump administration. The Biden administration had utilized a trade agreement negotiated during Trump's first term, known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), to empower workers in Mexico through targeted enforcement.
LeClercq suggests it is unlikely that President-elect Trump will abandon the "worker-centered" trade agenda of the USMCA. She explains, "President Trump negotiated the USMCA to ensure that lax labor rights in Mexico would not offer U.S. companies incentives to move their facilities south of the border." The Biden administration's enforcement of these labor rights helped protect Mexican workers while also aligning with Trump's goal of equalizing production costs between the two countries.
According to LeClercq, if anything, Trump's second term might see an increase in enforcing USMCA’s labor protections in Mexico. Her study published by Cornell University highlights that Mexican workers who benefited from USMCA during Biden's term had connections with U.S. labor unions and NGOs.
The Trump administration is expected to de-politicize this enforcement and expand it to additional Mexican facilities, ensuring no companies benefit from U.S. market access by bypassing rules.
Desirée LeClercq is an Assistant Professor at the University of Georgia School of Law and Faculty Co-Director of the Dean Rusk International Law Center. She specializes in international labor law and has experience working with various organizations including the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, International Labor Organization, and National Labor Relations Board. She can be contacted for further commentary at desireelc@uga.edu.