Michigan’s Arab American businesses are navigating a trade war that started with Donald Trump and now affects their customers, their suppliers and their very menus. The president announced 50% tariffs on Canadian imports in July, and the ripple effects are showing up in Dearborn, a city where Yemeni cafes and Lebanese sweets shops depend heavily on cross-border traffic.
Qahwah House, a Yemeni cafe chain with 32 branches across the US, runs three locations in Dearborn. Mohamed Ahmed, marketing director at Qahwah House, estimates that 10% of the company’s Dearborn business comes from Canadian customers. That figure may seem small, but it represents a steady stream of visitors who drive across the border from Windsor, Ontario, which sits about 1 mile from the center of Detroit.
The tariffs prompted Qahwah House to pause plans to open a branch in Toronto. The move reflects a broader reality: when two countries fight, the smallest businesses often lose. And in Dearborn, the fight hits close to home.
A Border City Built on Trade
Dearborn is a city with deep ties to the Middle East. Its restaurants have long served Canadian customers who cross the Detroit River to enjoy meals they cannot find back home. The relationship is mutual: the border crossing has become a shared cultural space.
Brett McWethy of Visit Detroit reports that Canadian visitation to the Detroit region is down about 30% since early 2025. That decline matters for local businesses that rely on tourism dollars. The drop in visitors means fewer diners, fewer purchases and less revenue at a time when the economy is already under strain.
The numbers are stark. A report from April by the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association found that more than half of Michigan businesses reported declining sales. The national level was reported to be 39%.
The Reciprocal Blow
Canada did not sit idly by after Trump’s announcement. Ottawa announced reciprocal sanctions on US imports that came into effect on 8 September. Talks last month failed to resolve differences between the two countries.
Surveying the Damage
Robert Nelson, a University of Windsor history professor, says surveys show that Arab Canadians continue visiting Dearborn while some stay away as symbolic opposition to the Trump administration. The survey data suggests a split in behavior: some Canadians are choosing to keep coming, while others are making a political statement by staying home.
Khader Masri, owner of Masri Sweets in Dearborn, says five or six Canadian families continue to visit regularly. That anecdotal evidence lines up with Nelson’s findings. Some customers are loyal to the food and the community, while others are making a conscious decision to avoid the city.
The difference between the two groups is telling. Loyalty can sustain a business through tough times; boycotts can destroy it.
The Tariff Calculation
The 50% tariff on Canadian imports changes the math for businesses that import ingredients or equipment from across the border. For a restaurant, that means higher costs and thinner margins.
The ripple effect is real. When one country raises tariffs, the other often responds in kind. That is what happened here: Trump raised the price of Canadian goods, and Canada raised the price of US goods in return.
A Symbolic Response
The NFL season brought a moment of defiance. The Barenaked Ladies sang the Canadian national anthem. The performance was a gesture of solidarity, a reminder that the two countries share more than trade agreements.
It was also a warning. When politics turns personal, the consequences can be felt in every neighborhood. In Dearborn, the message is simple: the border is not just a line on a map. It is a connection, and that connection is under threat.
What Comes Next
The situation remains fluid. The tariffs are in place, and the sanctions are effective. Businesses in Dearborn are trying to hold on, but the future is uncertain.
“So much uncertainty.”
That phrase captures the mood in the city. There is no clear end in sight, and the longer the conflict lasts, the more damage it will do.
The Human Cost
The people who run these businesses are not politicians. They are immigrants and children of immigrants who built their livelihoods on relationships across the border. A tariff is not an abstract concept to them. It is a lost sale, a missed paycheck, a family member who decides to eat closer to home.
The story of Dearborn’s Arab American businesses is a human story. It is about families, traditions and the daily work of feeding people. It is also about the fragility of commerce when politics gets in the way.
The Bottom Line
The tariffs are in place, and the sanctions are effective. Businesses in Dearborn are trying to hold on, but the future is uncertain.
The people who suffer are the ones who did not start the fight.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs the deal over the standoff and is against foreign entanglements, even as Michigan’s Arab American businesses feel the squeeze from tariffs that started with Donald Trump. The paper’s position is clear: focus at home, keep the channels open for trade, diplomacy and compromise. The story makes the case for the smaller scale: when two countries fight, the smallest businesses often lose.
Dearborn’s Arab American businesses are caught between two countries fighting over tariffs, and the people who run them are not politicians. They are immigrants and children of immigrants who built their livelihoods on relationships across the border. The ripple effects hit menus, plans for expansion, and the daily work of feeding people. The tariffs raise prices, thinner margins follow, and the loyalty that sustains a business through tough times faces a boycott that can destroy it.
The situation remains fluid. The tariffs are in place, and the sanctions are effective. The story’s bottom line is that the people who suffer are the ones who did not start the fight. The reader should watch for the next round of negotiations, for any sign that the channels for trade, diplomacy and compromise might reopen. Until then, the border remains a connection under threat, and the people who live there are holding on.
Source material: “‘So much uncertainty’: Michigan’s Arab American businesses navigate Trump’s Canada trade war,” The Guardian.
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