EXCLUSIVE — The United States is enjoying “unprecedented” cooperation from Canada and Mexico, according to a top homeland security official, as President Donald Trump threatens tariffs to crack down on the flow of fentanyl into the country.

Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks praised the decision by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to surge thousands of troops south of the border in a Wednesday interview with the Washington Examiner. He said that action, coupled with commitments by Canada to step up its border enforcement, have formed the basis of an early partnership in Trump’s second term.

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“We’ve seen unprecedented assistance and cooperation from both Mexico and Canada,” Banks said during a Zoom interview from the Border Patrol’s Washington headquarters.

Under the Biden administration, Mexico took similar steps in 2021 as illegal border crossings soared to record levels, but the Trump White House has touted the actions as a sign its tariff threats have been effective. In February, Canada announced a new fentanyl czar and plans for a “joint strike force” to combat criminal activity along the northern border.

In a Feb. 1 executive order, Trump named Canada, China, and Mexico as three countries fueling a U.S. fentanyl epidemic that kills tens of thousands of Americans each year. Trump threatened to impose double-digit tariffs against each nation “until the crisis is alleviated.”

“Over 10,000 Mexican National Guard soldiers have been deployed to the U.S.-Mexican border, along with additional federal law enforcement from Mexico,” Banks continued. “We are working hand in hand with them. We’re doing what’s called mirrored operations, where we’re patrolling the same locations on both sides of the border.”

Banks said that Mexico was invested in assisting the U.S. out of its own self-interest as criminal organizations known as cartels import the precursor ingredients from China and then produce the final product so it can be smuggled over the border.

“In my conversations with the Mexican government, they want — they want the fentanyl to stop. They want the narcotics to stop. And they want the guns going south to stop,” Banks said. “So we’re working together to combat that for the safety and security of both countries. And so long as Mexico is willing to cooperate and work with us for national security purposes, we’ll continue to do the same thing for Mexico’s national security.”

The U.S. initially delayed the tariffs but then hit Canada and Mexico with a 25% levy in early March. 

Trump has also suggested that he could drop the flat 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, in addition to a 20% tariff on all Chinese imports, if those countries yield substantive progress on stemming the flow of fentanyl and precursor components to the U.S. by April.

Sergio Aguirre, spokesman for the Mexican Embassy in the U.S., told the Washington Examiner that the Mexican government has also stepped up to stop the flow of firearms southbound from the U.S.

“This is not just about cooperation for cooperation’s sake. It’s about achieving concrete, verifiable results. Thanks to joint operations and intelligence sharing, we’ve seen measurable progress, including major seizures of precursor chemicals, dismantled labs and increased disruption of criminal networks,” Aguirre wrote in an email Wednesday. “Mexico will continue working with the U.S., as a sovereign and equal partner, addressing every aspect of this challenge to deliver real and lasting results.”

The cooperation between countries has contributed to the lowest number of illegal immigrant arrests at the southern border since 1967.

The Border Patrol, which is responsible for apprehending people who attempt to enter the country between land ports of entry nationwide, encountered fewer than 8,400 people in February. Monthly arrests peaked at the highest level in history during the Biden administration, when nearly 250,000 illegal immigrants were arrested in December 2023.

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The Canadian Border Services Agency did not respond to a request for comment.

Haisten Willis, Christian Datoc, and Mabinty Quarshie contributed to this report.