HELL'S KITCHEN, Manhattan (WABC) -- Good guacamole is key, but at Mamasita on 10th Avenue, a 25 percent tariff on imports from Mexico is only turning stomachs.
"I will be paying those prices on avocado, chiles, jalapeños which I get from the market. There's a Mexican market, and all of these prices are going to go up," said restaurant owner Prakash Hundalani.
On Saturday, President Trump fulfilled his promise of imposing steep tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China, pressuring the countries to stop the spread of fentanyl and limit illegal migration into the US.
"There could be some temporary short term disruption, and people will understand that," Trump said.
Mexico's President, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, wrote on X saying in part,
"If the U.S. government and its agencies wanted to address the serious consumption of fentanyl in their country, they can, for example, combat the sale of narcotics on the streets of their main cities, which they do not do."
Canada is also countering by placing 25 percent tariffs on $155 billion in US imports.
Trump declared an economic emergency to impose the tariffs that now risk a standoff with America's biggest trading partners.
The US Chamber of Commerce says, "The President is right to focus on major problems like our broken border and the scourge of fentanyl, but the imposition of tariffs under IEEPA is unprecedented, won't solve these problems, and will only raise prices for American families and upend supply chains."
Back at Mamasita, the owner says he prides himself on running what he says is an affordable spot for Mexican food in New York City, and that he is doing everything he can not to raise prices on customers, but he just does not know how he will make it through.
"I'm very afraid, I'm very upset - how am I going to run the business? There's no choice left for us," Hundalani said.
President Trump defended his decision by writing in part, "We need to protect Americans, and it is my duty as President to ensure the safety of all.
Experts say Americans could see higher prices for cars, gasoline, and produce.
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