The United States’ proposed tax on remittances, the construction of a new passenger railroad in the north of Mexico and a recent highway robbery were among the issues President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke about at her Thursday morning press conference.
Here is a recap of the president’s May 15 mañanera.
Sheinbaum: A tax on remittances is ‘unconstitutional’
Sheinbaum reiterated that her government doesn’t agree with the legislative proposal in the United States to impose a 5% tax on remittances sent out of the country by non-citizen immigrants.
“It’s even unconstitutional in the United States because a double tax would be charged,” she said without providing more specific arguments to support her claim.
“… The Mexicans who live in the United States already pay tax,” Sheinbaum said.
“So the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Mexico’s ambassador in the United States are talking to [U.S.] lawmakers, presenting all the arguments [against the proposal],” she said.
Sheinbaum highlighted that the proposed tax — outlined in the Republican Party’s so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” — would affect many countries apart from Mexico, including India and other Latin American nations.
“So we’re also speaking with the representation of those countries in the United States in order to be able to present [a common argument] to members of Congress that it’s an unacceptable measure,” she said.
Sheinbaum noted that the Mexican Senate has already expressed its opposition to the proposal, which could face a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives next week, and said that her government suggested that a group of Senators travel to the United States to speak with U.S. lawmakers.
“This is an injustice,” she told reporters.
“Apart from being unconstitutional, how is it possible that they want to charge Mexicans who send their remittances [home] … when they already pay taxes? … It’s a tax on those who have the least. … They should collect taxes from those at the top, not from those at the bottom,” Sheinbaum said.
“… Our objective is that … they don’t approve taxes on remittances. … We’re going to do everything that is necessary and speak with the [U.S.] Department of Treasury, the finance minister is already seeking this call,” she said.
Saltillo-Nuevo Laredo rail project is ‘very important,’ says Sheinbaum
A reporter mentioned that the “initial” funding for the Saltillo-Nuevo Laredo passenger train line has been approved, and asked the president for additional information about the project.
Sheinbaum first noted that a new passenger railroad will in fact run all the way from Mexico City to Nuevo Laredo, a city on the Tamaulipas-Texas border that is often considered “the customs capital of Latin America.”
“It’s the Gulf of Mexico Train,” she said.
“… The military engineers are building [the line] from Mexico City to Querétaro,” Sheinbaum said, adding that a tendering process will be carried out to find a private company to build a connecting railroad from Querétaro to Irapuato, Guanajuato.
She said that a tendering process will also be carried out this year to find a company to build the line from Saltillo, the capital of Coahuila state, to Nuevo Laredo.
“And we will continue to build over [the next] six years to achieve the Mexico City-Nuevo Laredo [railroad],” Sheinbaum said.
She said that the Saltillo-Nuevo Laredo project is “very important because there is a lot of movement from Coahuila to Nuevo Laredo and from Coahuila to Monterrey.”
“In addition it will be a scenic train [trip] because of the mountains of that area, it’s an extremely beautiful landscape,” Sheinbaum said.
The federal government said last month that construction of the Querétaro-Irapuato and Saltillo-Nuevo Laredo passenger railroads would commence in July and create hundreds of thousands of jobs.
Los Ángeles Azules get their instruments back
Three days after the Mexican cumbia group Los Ángeles Azules revealed that a vehicle transporting their instruments and audio equipment was stolen at what they called a “fake checkpoint” on the Mexico City-Puebla highway last Friday, Sheinbaum acknowledged that the instruments were found — in the municipality of San Martín Texmelucan, known as a fuel theft hub.
She also said that the commander of the National Guard, General Hernán Cortés, had “established contact with Los Ángeles Azules personnel” to find out exactly what happened and to obtain information to prevent similar incidents in the same area.
Recupera la Fiscalía General del Estado de #Puebla en San Martín Texmelucan equipo robado de grupo musical con valor aproximado de 8 millones de pesos.#FiscalíaFuerte pic.twitter.com/y9s1EnZR96
— FGE Puebla (@FiscaliaPuebla) May 15, 2025
Sheinbaum said that a “special operation” is now underway in the area where the Los Ángeles Azules’ vehicle was stolen.
She said that “practically all the musical instruments” in the vehicle “appeared,” and stressed that an investigation to detain those responsible for the crime is ongoing.
The robbery occurred at kilometer 61 on the Mexico City-Puebla highway, located in the municipality of Santa Rita Tlahuapan, Puebla.
TV Azteca reported this week that the Mexico City-Puebla highway is “shaping up to be one of the most unsafe roads in the country in 2025, with a high rate of robberies that mainly affect truckers.”
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies ([email protected])
