Mexican television host and model Michelle Perez Tadeo was found dead in Mexico City, marking what could be the sixth media worker murder this year. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the killing and called for greater accountability and protection for Mexican journalists (Reuters)
United States Lifts Temporary Ban on Avocado Imports from Mexico
U.S. officials lifted a ban on avocado imports from Mexico, which had been implemented due to increasing violence and a threat against an American agricultural inspector in Mexico’s Michoacán state (Guardian)
Separately, two men were killed in the Mexican beach resort of Tulum amid increasing violence in the Riviera Maya region (Bloomberg)
United States Temporarily Suspends Mexican Avocado Imports, Citing Violence
The United States has temporarily suspended avocado imports from Mexico, citing threats of violence in Mexico’s Michoacán state; the ban could cost Mexico $8.5 million per day (Newsweek)
Separately, Mexican authorities confirmed the first apparent victim of cartel landmines after a man’s pickup truck drove over an improvised land mine in Michoacán state (Washington Post)
U.S. Embassy in Mexico City Expresses Concern Over Safety of Journalists in Mexico
Following a string of journalist killings in Mexico, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City expressed concern over the situation facing journalists in the country (Reuters)
Fifth Journalist Killed in Mexico This Year
Heber López was shot dead in the southern state of Oaxaca, following the murder of four other journalists in January 2022 (Associated Press)
Mexican Authorities Find More Bodies in Zacatecas State, Bringing Death Toll to Eighteen
The death toll of a recent massacre in Zacatecas, Mexico climbed to eighteen after Mexican authorities discovered additional bodies (UNILAD)
Separately, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced the arrest of three men in connection to the murder of Tijuana Journalist Lourdes Maldonado in January 2022 (KPBS)
Sixteen Die in Mexico During Dispute Between Criminal Gangs
Sixteen people died in the central Mexican state of Zacatecas after what authorities called a violent dispute between criminal gangs (Reuters)
Fourth Journalist Killed in Mexico This Year
Roberto Toledo, from Mexico’s Michoacan state, became the fourth journalist in Mexico to be killed this year (Al Jazeera)
Third Journalist in Mexico Killed This Year
Reporter Lourdes Maldonado Lopez was shot dead in the northern city of Tijuana (BBC)
Photojournalist Killed in Tijuana, Mexico
The murder of photojournalist Margarito Martinez on Monday follows the murder of journalist Jose Gamboa in Veracruz last week (Reuters)
Ten Bodies Found in Van Near Governor’s Office in Zacatexas, Mexico
Zacatecas Governor David Monreal Ávila announced that authorities arrested the individuals who allegedly dumped the bodies of ten people in a parked van in the main plaza of the state capital (Washington Post)
Prison Attack Kills Nineteen In Juarez
Nineteen people were killed and two dozen prisoners were freed, including Ernesto Alfredo Pinon de la Cruz, the top gunman for the Juarez-based “Los Mexicles” cartel (Reuters)
Two Mexican Journalists Found Dead
Veteran journalists Fredy López Arévalo and Alfredo Cardoso were both attacked in their homes within less than twenty-four hours (The Guardian)
Mexico Increases Military Presence in Tulum Following Deaths of Two Tourists in Shootout
Mexico has stationed 450 members of the armed forces in Tulum in response to the deaths of two tourists in an apparent drug-related shootout (Bloomberg)
United States, Mexico Prepare Overhaul to Security Cooperation Deal
Officials are meeting in Mexico City today to approve a deal to overhaul the Merida Initiative, a thirteen-year, multibillion-dollar security accord that has failed to curb drug trafficking (Washington Post)
Cartel Leader Returned to Mexico
The United States handed over former Tijuana drug cartel boss Eduardo Arellano Felix to Mexico to face criminal charges after he was granted an early release from a U.S. prison sentence for cooperating with authorities (Reuters)
Mexico Sues U.S. Gun Companies for Fueling Violence
Mexican officials filed a lawsuit against ten American gun companies, accusing them of facilitating the flow of weapons to drug cartels in Mexico. The government is seeking an estimated $10 billion and follows rising violence and record numbers of homicides (New York Times)
Mexican Navy Apologizes for Forced Disappearances
At a public ceremony, the Mexican Navy issued a rare apology for its role in a series of forced disappearances that occurred during 2018 operations against drug cartels in the northern city of Nuevo Laredo (Reuters)
UN Reports Spike in Migrant Children Transiting Mexico
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said the number of children arriving in Mexico rose more than ninefold between January and March as migration to the United States climbed. The UN agency called for increased aid to Mexico and Central America, as nearly three hundred children were reported entering Mexico every day on average (New York Times)
Mexico Detains Thirty Soldiers for Alleged Role in Disappearances
Mexican authorities arrested thirty soldiers in connection with a series of disappearances in the northern state of Tamaulipas in 2014. Tamaulipas, which borders the United States, suffers frequent drug-related violence and has one of the highest numbers of missing persons in Mexico (Agence France Presse)
Gunmen Kill Thirteen Police Officers Near Mexico City
Authorities said gunmen killed at least thirteen police officers in an ambush near Mexico City. Security forces are searching for the gunmen, who are suspected to be gang members (Reuters)
Mexico Nears Marijuana Legalization
Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies approved a measure legalizing recreational marijuana. The bill is expected to pass the Senate. If President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador signs it into law, Mexico will become the world’s largest market for marijuana (New York Times)
Wife of Mexican Cartel Leader Arrested in U.S.
American authorities arrested Emma Coronel Aispuro, wife of Mexican cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, in the U.S. state of Virginia on charges for drug trafficking and helping Guzman escape prison in 2015 (Guardian)
Mexican Police Detained Over Migrant Massacre
Authorities charged twelve police officers with homicide over their alleged involvement in the killings of nineteen people, including Guatemalan migrants, near the U.S.-Mexico border last month (Washington Post)
Mexico’s Homicide Rate Remained High in 2020
The Mexican government reported that the country’s 2020 homicide rate was only 0.4 percent lower than the 2019 rate, defying expectations that COVID-19 lockdowns would lead to a significant reduction in violence. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador had pledged to reduce violence, but the homicide rate has remained high since he took office in late 2018 (Associated Press)