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☆ Mexico rulers tipped to win historic state election as presidency race looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Dave Graham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/5] A banner of Delfina Gomez, candidate for Governor for the state of Mexico for the National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) Party is pictured in Nezahualcoyotl, state of Mexico, Mexico May 26, 2023. Lopez Obrador routed the PRI in 2018 when he won the presidency. Erika Flores, a 50-year-old nurse who voted for Lopez Obrador in 2018, said she now felt disillusioned. LITMUS TESTIt is the first time the State of Mexico election will be a women-only contest. Gomez has vowed to put security first in the State of Mexico, pledging to clean up the police and improve their resources.

☆ Grupo Mexico says negotiations with government more difficult after railway expropriation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MEXICO CITY, May 21 (Reuters) - Grupo Mexico (GMEXICOB.MX) said on Sunday its negotiations with the government are facing difficulties after the Mexican Navy took over part of a railway in southern Mexico operated by a unit of the company last week. Grupo Mexico Transportes (GMXT.MX) said negotiations with authorities about the railway concession spanning from Coatzacoalcos to Medias Waters in the western Veracruz state would continue. The move sent shares in the mining and infrastructure company tumbling more than 4% after the expropriation on Friday. Last week Mexico's Supreme Court struck down a government order declaring key infrastructure projects as matters of national security. Reporting and writing by Sarah Kinosian in Mexico City; Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Spying in Mexico Strikes a New Victim: the President’s Ally
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Natalie Kitroeff | Ronen Bergman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

He is a longtime friend of the president, a close political ally for decades who is now the government’s top human rights official. And he has been spied on, repeatedly. Mexico has long been shaken by spying scandals. The attacks on Mr. Encinas, which have not been reported previously, seriously undercut President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s pledge to end what he has called the “illegal” spying of the past. They’re also a clear sign of how freewheeling the surveillance in Mexico has become, when no one, not even the president’s allies, appears to be off limits.

☆ Mexico to announce work visa program for Central Americans
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY, May 22 (Reuters) - Mexico will present a program this week to give Central Americans temporary visas to work on public infrastructure projects, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Monday. Such projects require more people such as welders, iron-workers and engineers, Lopez Obrador told his regular daily news conference. "We need a workforce for these projects, especially if it's skilled labor," Lopez Obrador said. Lopez Obrador has long pushed for investment in Central America to stem the migration of thousands of people every year fleeing poverty and violence in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. He has also sought to boost development in the impoverished southern region of Mexico, which sits near the border with Guatemala.

☆ Opinion: Fentanyl is killing a shocking number of young Americans. What the US can do to respond
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Opinion Joni Ernst | Tim Kaine | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Illicit fentanyl that originates abroad is one of the most damaging weapons employed against our homeland, destroying lives and families across our country. Cartels’ fentanyl trafficking far surpasses the US government’s response. Between 2017 and 2021, the number of fentanyl trafficking offenders increased 950%, from 146 to 1,533 in the US. Curbing fentanyl trafficking and breaking up cartel networks demands an aggressive and clear approach. Mexico and the US need to be active partners in combating criminal organizations and curtailing illicit drug trafficking.

☆ Is Mexico doing the US’s ‘dirty work’ when it comes to migration?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Rafael Romo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But the enforcement has been chaotic, sporadic and, in the words of a former top Mexican official, “inefficient.”Tonatiuh Guillén was commissioner of Mexico’s National Migration Institute until 2019. Luis Barron/Eyepix Group/NurPhoto/AP“Mexico became a control territory, [a place of] a severe migration policy, detentions, deterrence, and expulsions. ‘This is not about doing the United States’ dirty work’Mexican President Obrador denies Mexico is doing the US’s bidding when it comes to migration. Two months later, another 47 migrants were found alive crammed inside a truck in Matehuala (San Luis Potosí state), Mexico. Viangly, a Venezuelan migrant, reacts outside an ambulance while firefighters remove injured migrants, mostly Venezuelans, from a National Migration Institute building during a fire in Ciudad Juarez on March 27, 2023.

Calling the move "surprising", the transport unit Grupo Mexico Transportes (GMXT.MX) said the Navy had occupied its facilities at the Coatzacoalcos-Medias Aguas section at 6 a.m.(1200 GMT), and that it was weighing up its options. Grupo Mexico Transportes will keep providing services under supervision of the armed forces, it said. The section "expropriated" is about 1.1% of the 11,137 km run by Grupo Mexico's transport division, analysts at brokerage Vector said in a client note. Grupo Mexico, owned by tycoon German Larrea, has been closing in on the acquisition of U.S. Citigroup Inc's retail banking operations in Mexico. Shares in Grupo Mexico were down by more than 4% on Friday afternoon, a drop mirrored by Grupo Mexico Transportes' stock.

☆ Analysis: Jet-setting Lula risks losing focus on Brazil issues, allies say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Lisandra Paraguassu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

BRASILIA, May 17 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's focus on foreign policy and a relentless schedule of trips abroad risks distracting him from tackling thorny domestic issues, two senior allies of the leftist president told Reuters. But so far, less than six months into his third term, he has made twice as many foreign trips as he did at the start of his first presidency in 2003. By comparison, fellow leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of Mexico, who skipped the coronation, has made five foreign trips since taking office in 2018. "You have to focus on decisive issues," the aide said, citing a need for higher economic growth and job creation. Marco Feliciano, a pro-Bolsonaro lawmaker in the lower house, said "international trips are part of the presidential agenda, but not at the beginning of the government ...

☆ Mexican president backs referendum on electing Supreme Court justices
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY, May 17 (Reuters) - Mexico's president on Wednesday backed a proposal to hold a national vote on whether Supreme Court justices should be chosen by citizens, the latest move in the leader's push to reshape an institution he considers "rotten." Mexico's Supreme Court justices are currently approved by the senate with a two-thirds majority from a shortlist selected by the president, and they serve terms of 15 years. "I hope the vote happens, that the question goes to the people," President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said in his daily news conference when asked about the possibility, which his party has said they want Congress to vote on. Approval in a referendum would lend support for changing the constitution to create a system of citizen-elected Supreme Court justices, something the president said last week he would seek before leaving office in 2024. Reporting by Raul Cortes Fernandez; Editing by David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Mexican president: 'No problem' if Grupo Mexico buys Citi's Banamex unit
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Brendan O'Boyle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Lopez Obrador said the mining and transport conglomerate (GMEXICOB.MX) remains one of the possible buyers of the retail banking unit, also known locally as Banamex. Lopez Obrador said he believes several "recommendations" he has for the sale are being met. Reuters reported last week that Grupo Mexico was closing in on a $7 billion deal to purchase Banamex. Lopez Obrador, a leftist economic nationalist, referenced tensions with Grupo Mexico's billionaire magnate German Larrea. When it comes to the sale and purchase of the bank there is no problem," Lopez Obrador said.

☆ Mexico's mighty peso hits 7-year record high against U.S. dollar
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Noe Torres | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Some analysts chalk up the peso's latest gains, however, as mostly the flip side of a weakening greenback. The peso gained 0.95% on Monday to trade at 17.42 pesos per dollar, its strongest level since May 2016. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador repeatedly touts the peso's strength as evidence of sound macroeconomic policies, especially his administration's budget austerity and pledge to avoid taking on new debt. "A big part of (the peso's strength) is the dollar's weakness," he said, adding that the Mexican economy further benefits from growing flows of fixed investments into the country. "Mexico has shown itself to be the least ugly person at the party," quipped Gonzali, helping it attract more dance partners.

☆ Pandemic-related asylum restrictions known as Title 42 expire, straining U.S. immigration system
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

The expired rule, known as Title 42, was in place since March 2020. While Title 42 prevented many from seeking asylum, it carried no legal consequences, encouraging repeat attempts. Migrants cross the Rio Bravo river to turn themselves in to U.S. Border Patrol agents before Title 42 ends, in Matamoros, Mexico May 10, 2023. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas had already warned of more crowded Border Patrol facilities to come. They were quickly apprehended by Border Patrol agents.

☆ U.S. Warns Migrants Before End of Pandemic Restrictions That ‘Border Is Not Open’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Aishvarya Kavi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Mr. Mayorkas said that his department is also launching a digital advertising campaign in Central and South America to counter false claims made by smugglers that the end of Title 42 means the border will be open. “Do not believe their lies,” Mr. Mayorkas said in a message to migrants. He also warned that with the end of Title 42, migrants may face criminal charges if they are eventually expelled and try to cross again. “We are finalizing a new rule to encourage individuals to use available, lawful, safe and orderly pathways to enter the United States,” Mr. Mayorkas said. “We are delivering on tougher consequences for unlawful entry,” Mr. Mayorkas said.

☆ Biden, Mexican president discuss border security before Title 42 end
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, May 9 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday discussed border security measures as they prepare for a potential migrant wave when a key U.S. border policy ends this week, the White House said. The Biden administration and Texas state authorities are sending reinforcements to the U.S.-Mexico border to prepare for a possible increase in immigration when COVID-19 restrictions known as Title 42 are end on Thursday. In a phone call on Tuesday, Biden and Lopez Obrador "discussed continued close coordination between border authorities and strong enforcement measures," the White House said in a statement. Lopez Obrador said on Twitter they had discussed their commitment to work together on migration, as well as drugs and arms trafficking. They also discussed "cooperation in caring for the continent's poorest," Lopez Obrador added.

☆ Mexico president slams 'rotten' judiciary after electoral reform setback
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY, May 9 (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday criticized the country's judiciary as "rotten," one day after the Supreme Court invalidated part of a set of electoral reforms he had championed. The Supreme Court on Monday voted 9-2 to strike down a measure curbing elections authority INE's ability to police political communications. Critics of the elections overhaul have warned it will weaken democracy in a country set to hold presidential elections next year. Lopez Obrador has frequently attacked the agency, saying it allowed voter fraud to rob him of the 2006 and 2012 presidential elections. He has also squared off with Supreme Court justices, arguing they do not represent the people in the way lawmakers do.

☆ Hundreds of migrants amass near US-Mexico wall with COVID ban set to end
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Lizbeth Diaz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] Migrants gather between the primary and secondary border fences in San Diego as the United States prepares to lift COVID-19 era restrictions known as Title 42, that have blocked migrants at the U.S.- Mexico border from seeking asylum since 2020, as seen from Tijuana, Mexico May 8, 2023. Activists say that queues of migrants started arriving this week to the city of Tijuana, which borders San Diego, California, hoping to get ahead of a potential rush in asylum applications after May 11. The United States has insisted the end of Title 42 does not mean borders will be open. The Biden administration and Texas state government are sending reinforcements to the border to prepare for a possible increase in illegal immigration. Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz; Editing by Sonali PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

WASHINGTON, May 9 (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on a son of former Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the Treasury Department said. El Chapo, who was leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, is currently serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has denied the presence of fentanyl labs in the country, alleging it comes from China. Guzman Lopez's cousin, Saul Paez Lopez, was also sanctioned for his alleged role in coordinating drug shipments. Washington also sanctioned Mario Esteban Ogazon Sedano, saying he purchased precursor chemicals from Ludim Zamudio Lerma to operate drug labs.

☆ How El Chapo’s sons built a fentanyl empire poisoning America
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +23 min

Headed by Iván, El Chapo’s oldest son, the siblings have emerged as key figures in the Sinaloa Cartel, U.S. and Mexican anti-narcotics officials said. But he was killed in 2008 in Culiacán in a hail of bullets amid infighting between warring factions of the Sinaloa Cartel. The agency in April placed Iván on the list of its 10 Most Wanted Fugitives, joining Jesús Alfredo and Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a Sinaloa Cartel legend and El Chapo’s alleged former business partner. They also kidnapped eight soldiers and surrounded military housing where wives and children of Mexican soldiers lived, Mexican officials said. Despite that blow to the Sinaloa Cartel, fentanyl keeps flowing north.

MEXICO CITY, May 8 (Reuters) - The Mexican government on Monday set out fresh details of a plan to attract businesses to a corridor straddling a narrow isthmus of southern Mexico, part of a larger push to pump investment into the relatively poor region. The plan, called the Inter-Oceanic Corridor, will include 10 new industrial parks along the stretch connecting the Pacific port of Salina Cruz in Oaxaca state with the Gulf coast hub of Coatzacoalcos in Veracruz state, officials said. Officials also hinted at plans to construct four wind plants across the area, home to major installations of state-run oil company Pemex. Another reason to push manufacturing to the south is that the north - which benefits from its proximity with the United States - is facing a drought, officials say. Reporting by Kylie Madry; Writing by Brendan O'Boyle; Editing by David Alire GarciaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Mexican officials roll out investment plans for southern corridor
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Officials announced details for 10 industrial parks along the corridor connecting the Pacific port of Salina Cruz in Oaxaca state with the Gulf coast hub of Coatzacoalcos in Veracruz state. Four of the parks will be located in Veracruz and six in Oaxaca, officials said during an event touting the potential of the Interoceanic Corridor development plan. Lopez Obrador has repeatedly argued that southern states like Oaxaca are prime for investment versus the country's more industrial north. He has also touted southern Mexico's more ample water resources. The minister added that the Interoceanic Corridor project will be presented to companies from the United States, Canada, Taiwan and Germany, among others.

☆ Mexico's top court invalidates part of president's electoral reform
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY, May 8 (Reuters) - Mexico's Supreme Court on Monday struck down part of an electoral overhaul championed by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador that curbs the power of the country's elections authority, which the leftist leader has repeatedly attacked. A separate part of the legislative reform, which slashes the budget and staffing at the National Electoral Institute (INE), is still being evaluated by the tribunal. In March, the court temporarily suspended other parts of the overhaul, citing violations of citizens' political rights. Lopez Obrador says he was twice robbed of the presidency before he won by a landslide in the 2018 election, and argues the INE is too expensive and biased in favor of his opponents. Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in February after lawmakers approved the reform, in one of the largest protests so far against Lopez Obrador's 4-1/2 year-old administration.

☆ Mexican president backs U.S. dollar as globe's 'principal currency'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY, May 8 (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador gave the U.S. dollar a vote on confidence on Monday after he was asked if a weakening greenback might spur a move to diversify Mexico's foreign currency reserves. "We are going to continue considering the dollar as the world's principal currency," Lopez Obrador told a press conference. "We have sufficient reasons to not move to other currencies," he said, underscoring Mexico's "increasingly close" economic ties to the United States. The United States is by far Mexico's largest trading partner, with both economies closely integrated over decades in sectors ranging from energy, autos and agriculture. The dollar remained weaker against most of its major peers on Monday as fears persist about a potential recession in the United States later this year.

☆ The New Surge at the Border
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( David Leonhardt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The surge of migrants gathering at the U.S.-Mexico border underscores a point that Democratic Party politicians often try to play down: U.S. border policy has a big effect on how many people try to enter the country illegally. Title 42 expires on Thursday, as part of the end of the official Covid health emergency. In recent weeks, word has spread in Latin America that entering the U.S. is about to become easier. Smugglers have told potential migrants that the coming period will be a good time to attempt a border crossing, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador of Mexico said last week. “It’s a real crisis,” Father Rafael Garcia of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in downtown El Paso told The Times.

☆ Mexican president says migrant flows won't increase after U.S. border policy change
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Migrants walk between the two border fences as they wait for authorities to request asylum in San Ysidro, California, U.S., as seen from Tijuana, Mexico April 29, 2023. REUTERS/Jorge DuenesMEXICO CITY, May 5 (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Friday he did not expect migrant flows to increase once U.S. border restrictions are lifted next week, pointing to legal pathways for migrants to reach the U.S. The border policy known as Title 42, which allows U.S. authorities to rapidly expel migrants to Mexico without the chance to seek asylum, is due to expire May 11. Lopez Obrador said the availability of U.S. permits and visas that migrants can request from their home countries will prevent the numbers of people attempting to reach the U.S.-Mexico border from growing. "We think migrant flows will not increase, because another option, an alternative, is opening up," Lopez Obrador told his regular daily news conference.

☆ Mexico president defends son after report alleging corruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

This week Mexican news outlet Latinus published a report alleging that Andres Lopez Beltran, a son of the president, had helped friends snare public contracts worth over 100 million pesos ($5.6 million). Lopez Obrador ditched the airport upon taking office in 2018 on the grounds that it was too costly and tainted by corruption. Lopez Beltran could not immediately be reached for comment. Lopez Obrador acknowledged family friends had won government contracts, but said they posed no conflicts of interest. Lopez Obrador denied any conflict of interest at the time.

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