On December 19, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard signed a decree to impose a 35% import tariff on 138 tariff categories of textiles and ready-made clothing products and to establish a list of banned textile imports to protect Mexico's textile/apparel industry. The tariff will target products imported from countries that have not signed a free trade agreement with Mexico. Ebrard said that these measures are to protect one of the most important employment industries in our country. By imposing tariffs, a fairer competitive environment will be provided for local textile and clothing manufacturers, avoiding market imbalances caused by the influx of cheap overseas goods, stimulating local industrial development, and creating more jobs in the labor market.