Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa has unveiled a series of dramatic policy moves as he seeks to project a strong image days ahead of a federal election.On Monday, in a post on the social media platform X, Noboa announced he would be imposing a 27-percent tariff on imports from Mexico.
Then, in a second message two hours later, he revealed he would seal the country’s borders for a three-day period in response to unspecified threats from armed groups.
“In response to attempts by armed groups to destabilise the country, the borders will remain closed from Saturday, February 8, to Monday, February 10,” Noboa wrote.
He also announced a push to “immediately militarise” Ecuador’s ports and reinforce the military presence at the country’s borders.
The announcements come as Noboa, a conservative, faces a tight re-election bid on Sunday against his rival from the 2023 presidential race, Luisa Gonzalez of the left-wing Citizen Revolution Movement.
Critics also noted that Noboa appeared to be mirroring the policies and phrasings of United States President Donald Trump, who won re-election in 2024 on a hardline agenda of tariffs and border security. Advertisement
Ongoing feud with Mexico
Trump and Noboa share a common target for their tariff threats: Mexico.
In November, shortly after his election victory, Trump announced he would impose 25-percent tariffs on Mexican products imported into the US. The imposition of those tariffs have been temporarily paused, as of Monday, for a period of 30 days.
Trump justified the move by saying it was necessary leverage to force Mexico to stem the flow of undocumented immigrants and drugs into the US. He also cited the need to protect US industries …