In Mexican border town, thousands of jobs lost due to Trump tariffs
By Mariana Hernandez
Ciudad Juarez rose to ranks in a factory producing decorative ribbons in Ciudad Juarez just across the border of Fabiola Galicia, El Paso and Texas for years. Starting as a production line worker, he finally promoted to the manager who supervised 30 employees.
However, in June, the shift was cut to only three days a week. Later in August, the Design Group American representative, who applied for bankruptcy protection last month, closed the Ciudad Juarez factory and left Galicia and 300 other workers unemployed.
In the court files, the company partially accused the problems in the tariffs brought by the US President Donald Trump. Galicia said a company representative accused Trump. Her husband worked in the company and dismissed Galicia, “the tariffs said the company affected,” he said.
Design Group American did not respond to the request for a comment on layoffs.
The assembly facilities in Ciudad Juarez import raw materials that are mostly imported from all over the world free of charge and export the finished product to the USA. Trump’s Global Trade War, increasing wages, and investor’s concern about the reforms of Mexico’s ruling Leftist MORENA Party has already added misery to a sector that has already faced difficulties.
Plants known as Maquiladoras make up about 60 percent of the works in Ciudad Juarez. One of the most important manufacturing centers in Mexico for decades, the industrial sector of the city has carried operations to Mexico to prevent US tariffs in products produced by China in a trend called ‘Nearshoring’ in recent years.
However, after growth and employment, many plants are now pouring workers and in some cases are completely closed.
According to the Mexican National Institute of Statistics and Geography, between June 2023 and June 2025, the Juarez Municipality lost more than 64,000 factory work, including about 14,000 in the first six months of the year.
‘Cherry on top’
The mass dismissal underlines the difficulties faced by the Mexican economy, which is connected to free trade with the United States.
The GDP growth for 2025 has increased to a level less than one percent, while companies struggled to survive between Trump’s re -tariffs again.
Maria Teresa Delgado, Vice President of the Maquila Association Index, said the industry is in the “crisis .. In addition to the tariffs, he and his six other business experts connected their dismissal to a combination of factors.
Factories experienced a decrease in profit margins after a federal increase in the minimum wage. The minimum wage in the northern part of Mexico has rose from 22 pesodan ($ 1.17) per hour since 2019 52.48 Pesoya ($ 2.80).
