Mexican Government Sends Twenty-Nine Prisoners to U.S. to Face Charges Related to Drug Trafficking and Other Violations
Several are senior crime bosses, including a man behind the 1985 killing of a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent (WaPo)
Mexico’s foreign minister was in Washington trying to head off 25 percent tariffs, which Trump said would go forward for both Canada and Mexico on Tuesday (AP)
Trump linked the tariffs to drug trafficking concerns; Canada launched a new push to intercept drugs entering and leaving the country (Reuters)
U.S. Freeze on Foreign Aid Stalls Program Aimed at Blocking Imported Fentanyl Materials From Drug Cartels
The program provided training and equipment to screen cargo at Mexican ports; a White House press official did not answer Reuters questions about the funding halt, saying Trump is working to secure the border (Reuters)
Mexican President Warns Against U.S. Interference
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum made the statement following the United States’ unilateral decision to label cartels as terrorist organizations, stating that Mexico will not tolerate any U.S. invasion of the country to target cartels; officials close to Trump recently hinted that attacks on U.S. personnel at the U.S.-Mexico border could prompt strong military retaliation (NPR)
Trump Administration Designates Eight Latin American Crime Groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations
Six are based in Mexico, including the country’s two largest drug trafficking groups, the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one is based in Venezuela, and one in El Salvador (FT)
Trump considered such a designation during his first term but held back amid concerns about damaging relations with Mexico and making it easier for migrants to claim asylum if they said they were fleeing terror groups (Reuters)
CIA Increases Drone Surveillance Flights Over Mexico in Recent Weeks
The Trump administration has promised stepped-up efforts to combat Mexican cartels and fentanyl labs; Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said the flights were part of “coordination” between the two countries (NYT)
Mexico Builds Temporary Shelters to Prepare for U.S. Deportations
Mexico is preparing to receive deportees by constructing shelters along the U.S.-Mexico border and creating programs to match returnees with jobs (NYT)
In addition to deporting people to Mexico, the Trump administration aims to restart a program known as “Remain in Mexico,” though Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said yesterday that Mexico had not agreed to take non-Mexican asylum seekers as part of that program(Reuters)
Trump’s Domestic Policy Steps Target Border
Trump declared an emergency at the U.S. southern border yesterday, enabling the use of military action there (White House)
Separately, he directed government agencies to restart a program in which asylum seekers wait in Mexico for their claims to be processed (White House)
Mexico’s foreign minister said that Mexico did not agree with the restart of the program known as “Remain in Mexico” and aimed to adjust it (NBC)
Mexico Announces Largest-Ever Fentanyl Seizure
Mexican officials called the seizure the largest in their country’s history and said the amount seized was equivalent to over twenty million doses of fentanyl pills, worth nearly $400 million (NYT)
Separately, authorities said they detained upwards of 5,200 migrants across the country in a twenty-four-hour period (Reuters)
The steps come after Trump threatened 25 percent tariffs on Mexico if it did not curb illegal migration and drug trafficking (WaPo)
Trump Says He Plans to Use Military in Mass Deportations
Donald Trump confirmed in a social media post that he plans to declare a national emergency and use military assets in a “mass deportation program;” presidents have broad authority to declare national emergencies at their discretion (NYT)
Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden met with Mexico’s President Claudia Scheinbaum on the sidelines of the G20 summit, voicing a commitment to North American cooperation (Reuters)
Washington and Mexico City affirmed their commitment to tackling migration and transnational violence (White House)
Mexican Law Enforcement Arrest Man for Killing of Mayor
The detained man was the top security official in the city of Chilpancingo, an unnamed government source told Reuters; Chilpancingo’s mayor was killed in October just days after taking office (Reuters)
Mexico’s Former Public Security Leader Sentenced in U.S. Drug Case
Genaro García Luna was handed more than thirty-eight years of prison time in a New York federal court for accepting millions of dollars worth of bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel; García Luna claims the charges were based on false information (AP)
As public security chief, he was in charge of carrying out former Mexican President Felipe Calderón’s war on cartels, with the United States once hailing García Luna as a critical ally against drug trafficking (Al Jazeera)
Mayor of Chilpancingo Assassinated
Mayor Alejandro Arcos was brutally murdered less than one week after being sworn into office; Arcos’ death came days before the announcement of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s new security strategy against violent crime (Reuters)
Sheinbaum Inaugurated as Mexico’s First Female President
Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo takes office today in Mexico City, where she formerly served as mayor (Bloomberg)
She will oversee a sweeping legislative majority, entrenched security problems, a modestly growing economy, and a scheduled review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement in 2026 (Bloomberg)
Mexico’s Congress Puts Military in Charge of Police Force
Congress approved a goal of outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and put the country’s National Guard under the control of the defense ministry; human rights experts had warned against the move, saying it will not effectively address the country’s high levels of violence (WaPo)
Mexico Finalizes Plans to Seize Control of Port Owned By U.S. Firm
Alabama-based Vulcan Materials vowed to fight back in arbitration after the Mexican government said it would take control of the port on its Caribbean coast amid a long-running dispute; Mexico declared a nature reserve in an area that includes port operation while Vulcan said the incident would produce a “chilling and long-term effect” on U.S.-Mexico trade and investment relations (Bloomberg)
U.S. Government Prosecutorial Team Recommends Life Sentence for Former Mexican Public Security Secretary
As public security leader, Genaro García Luna was in charge of battling the country’s violent drug trade, but last February, he was found guilty of engaging in a criminal drug enterprise to move cocaine to the United States; his sentencing is set for October 9 (Reuters)
Mexico’s Full Legislature Passes Controversial Judicial Overhaul Amid Demonstrations
The Mexican Senate approved an overhaul of the country’s court system early today, sparking demonstrations that burst into the country’s legislative building as the senators were deliberating; U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar has called the reform, which would see direct election of judges, “a major risk to the functioning of Mexico’s democracy” (WaPo)
Mexican Drug Boss Says He Was Kidnapped Before Flying to United States
Detained drug ringleader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García said in a letter released by his lawyer that he was on the way to meet with local politicians, including the governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa, when he was kidnapped and flown to the United States last month; the Sinaloa governor denied any links with organized crime and said Zambada García was not in the state that day (AP)
El Chapo’s Son to Appear in Court Following Arrest Alongside Accused Kingpin
Joaquín Guzmán López, son of jailed Mexican kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, is due to appear in a U.S. court today; he was indicted last year on U.S. drug trafficking and money laundering charges and turned himself into U.S. authorities last Thursday alongside accused top drug boss Ismael Zambada (Reuters)
Zambada’s lawyer said Guzmán López “forcibly kidnapped” Zambada in the incident that culminated in the arrest (Chicago Tribune)
U.S. Federal Agents Arrest Leader of Sinaloa Cartel
Ismael Zambada, one of the world’s most powerful drug lords, was apprehended in a sting operation in El Paso, Texas; U.S. law enforcement officials arrested the son of imprisoned drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán alongside Zambada (WSJ)
United States to Resume Checks Needed to Export Produce From Mexico’s Michoacán
Inspections of avocados and mangos will gradually resume after they were suspended last week following the assault and detention of U.S. inspectors, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico said; he added that “more work still needs to be done” so that agriculture inspectors are safe (AP)
President-elect Pushes Forward With Judicial Reforms as Peso Value Falls
President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum promised to push forward with judicial reforms while reassuring investors that the country’s rule of law would be maintained; this comes as the peso experiences its most significant weekly decline in value against the dollar in four years (Reuters)
Over 4,000 Residents Flee Chiapas After Armed Attack
Close to 4,200 residents fled the southern Mexico state of Chiapas after armed gangs initiated shootings throughout the town and burned many homes, likely resulting in the largest mass displacement in Chiapas since 1997; the Digna Ochoa Human Rights Center suspects the violence was linked to drug trafficking (AP)
Female Mayor in Western Mexico Killed Hours After Election of Claudia Sheinbaum as President
The killing followed high levels of violence in the election itself; authorities said that they were investigating the killing (Reuters)
Reports: Biden to Sign Executive Order Reducing Asylum Processing on U.S.-Mexico Border
U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to order border authorities today to cease processing asylum seekers if the number of migrant apprehensions at the southern border exceeds 2,500 per day, unnamed sources briefed on the plan told multiple news outlets; that total is below the daily average of apprehensions in recent months (WSJ)
Former President Donald Trump sought to impose a similar restriction in 2018 but was blocked by federal courts (WaPo)