Ecuador exports to the U.S. will pay an additional 10% tariff; The dollar is back in the election news; More than 2,000 Ecuadorians deported from the U.S.

All exports to the U.S. from Ecuador will pay an additional 10% tariff beginning April 5. The 10% charge applies to all Latin American countries except Venezuela and Nicaragua, which will pay 15% and 18%. The worldwide tariffs, which range from 10% to 95% on imports to the U.S., were announced Wednesday by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Representatives of Ecuador’s major export sectors, bananas, shrimp, flowers and cocoa, expressed concern that the added charge could affect competitiveness and sales totals. “We already pay a 6.8% charge for our products in the U.S. market and another 10% could dampen demand and affect our standing among other flower-exporting nations,” said Jorge Albán, representative of a flower growers association.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced new import tariffs on Wednesday.

The Production Ministry said that Ecuador will not suffer a competitive disadvantage. “Of course, we regret the new tariff, but it is important to understand Ecuador is among the countries with the lowest U.S. tariff, at 10%,” it said. “Many countries will pay higher rates.”

“The entire world will pay this tariff, no one will be exempt,” Trump said in his Wednesday announcement. His claim was emphasized by the inclusion of the uninhabited Antarctic McDonald Islands on the tariff list.

U.S. dollar back in the campaign news
Following comments by Citizens’ Revolution’s Ricardo Patiño, the status of the U.S. dollar as Ecuador’s official currency is back in the election news. “The United States is in a sustained decline and the level of distrust of the dollar is very high,” Patiño said during a conversation with former president Rafael Correa Monday on the Russia Today television program.

Patiño, who was elected in February to the National Assembly and who served as Foreign Minister during the Correa administration, suggested the dollar’s days as the world’s reserve currency are numbered.

The reelection campaign of President Daniel Noboa was quick to incorporate Patiño’s remarks in its social media advertising. “Make no mistake, the Correistas want to take your dollars away,” was the caption of one campaign ad.

Patiño also said that the BRICS alliance, which includes Brazil, Russia, India and China, is “re-shaping a new global economic landscape” and will soon introduce currency alternatives to the dollar.

More than 2,000 Ecuadorians deported
The United States has deported 2,120 Ecuadorians in 2025, the Foreign Ministry reported Tuesday. The ministry said the number is similar to deportations in the first three months of 2024.

“Those deported from the U.S. for irregular immigration status have arrived on flights from Texas and Florida to Guayaquil,” the ministry said. “All arrivals are provided special assistance by the government.”

The ministry repeated a statement by President Daniel Noboa that Ecuadorians are not being especially “targeted” by new U.S. immigration policies. “There are no raids in the U.S. that target Ecuadorians in particular and the numbers of those deported reflect this fact,” the ministry said.

According to ministry records, 18,400 Ecuadorians were deported from the U.S. in 2023 while 13,600 were deported in 2024.