The citizens of the United States most likely would not win “most-loved people of the world” right now. Regardless of how you feel about President Trump’s policies, they have clearly had a negative impact on the perceptions abroad of both the United States and its citizens. During Trump’s first presidency, when someone abroad disagreed with his policies, I would often hear, “I don’t blame American citizens — I blame Trump.” This time feels different. This time, people from around the world seem more ready and willing to place blame on all U.S. citizens, not just our president.
This anger is manifesting itself here in Mexico in different places and in different ways. I have recently seen “Gringo Go Home” graffiti in multiple cities in Mexico. The recent anti-gentrification protest in Mexico City drew a lot of attention to the impact of Americans increasingly coming to the city to live or vacation. A recent poll by Pew Research shows that the percentage of Mexicans who view the U.S. negatively has skyrocketed from 31% to 69% in just the past few months. Even here at MND, a day hardly goes by without our team receiving a request to invoice in either Mexican pesos or Canadian dollars — people are so angry that they don’t even want to pay in USD!
When I talk to Mexicans about their thoughts on the United States and its citizens right now, they are often quick to share their feelings. Whether it be the topic of tariffs, deportations, taxes on remittances or the border wall, there is real sadness, disappointment, anger and even fear. Most Mexicans feel that they have been an important part of the U.S. — historically, economically and culturally — and right now they feel that their neighbor is letting them down (to put it mildly).
So what can us Americans do? Whether you’re living in Mexico, traveling to Mexico for work or vacation, or even staying in your home country, here are a few thoughts.
1. Be mindful of media and “expert” biases. I have seen multiple U.S. news reports attempting to compare the anti-gentrification protests in Mexico City to what ICE is doing in the United States with Mexicans. In other words, dramatically oversimplifying the issue and trying to create the false narrative that in both countries, they want foreigners out. That simply isn’t true in either country but it does, of course, lead to fear in the U.S. community that they might be unsafe in Mexico or the victims of violence against them. I have even heard “Mexico experts” (consultants based in CDMX and Washington, D.C.) mentioning a potential “black swan event” of violence in Mexico against Americans. We as consumers of information have to be more alert than ever that the motivations of these news organizations and consultants are different than ours. They are looking for more views, more clicks, or more consulting gigs. Genuinely informing or educating you is not their objective. In their minds, fear sells — and fear means more business for them.
2. Understand that you are an ambassador of your home country. The way you talk, the way you treat others, the way you listen, the amount you tip, the effort you make to speak a little Spanish or smile when asking if the other person speaks English — all are a reflection of not only you, but also your home country. Now more than ever it is important to be cognizant of this and aware of the weight and impact of your actions. This isn’t to say that you should change who you are or how you act, but it is to say that you would be foolish to not think that you are being observed and analyzed now more than ever. What do I mean by that? I think many Mexicans are genuinely hurt by what the U.S. is doing to them right now. As a result, through what in many cases are limited interactions with Americans, many Mexicans are trying to assess how much of that pain to credit to the U.S. government versus average U.S. citizens. Your actions will directly shape how that person makes that assessment.
3. Make an extra effort to make a positive impact on Mexico and its people, one interaction at a time. What does this mean? It can mean any of a million different things. If you don’t travel to Mexico, it might mean doing things like buying Mexican products in your local grocery store — like fruit, vegetables, beer or tequila. It might mean supporting local Mexican businesses in your community, knowing that a portion of your purchase is very likely being sent back to Mexico in the form of remittances to support family members. If you are a vacationer in Mexico, it might mean not cancelling your trip based on the fear mongering that you saw on the news. It might mean prioritizing Mexico for your next vacation. If you are a person that does business in Mexico, it might mean staying the course on your planned investments or new hire decisions despite the near constant economic noise being created.
In summary, it means being aware that your actions can either help counteract or help reinforce the perceptions Mexicans have of U.S. citizens. It’s more important now than ever to show Mexico, and the world, who we are as individual Americans.
For some people, that means making a real sacrifice and commitment of time, experience and money. Read my article next week as I profile a group of U.S.-based medical professionals doing incredible volunteer work in Mexico, one small child at a time. It is a story that is guaranteed to inspire you!
Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for nearly 30 years.
Perhaps Mexicans should have stopped looking like the country to the North as their ATM. All I hear is how the US doesn’t respect Mexico’s sovereignty and just laugh. Mexico hasn’t respected US sovereignty for years if ever. Just look at what they are angry over. Gentrification which they blame mostly on Americans who immigrated to Mexico (legally btw), when millions of illegal Mexicans are in the US. Tariffs on Mexico, after Mexico has simply been a platform for the Chinese to get around tariffs on them. Building a wall, Mexico is the country who has tight control over their own immigration has aided and abetted the open border to the North. There are many things I could mention where Mexico has not been a good neighbour. Finally we have a president that is more concerned with our country’s welfare and not the welfare of the world. We are tired of being the policeman of the world and the ATM of the world. When or if Mexicans actually elect someone with the same goals of building Mexico into being a respectable country (which they deserve to have) and not the failed country they currently have then both countries can work together.
Dude, those are some ugly words
👍🏼
Make America Go It Alone. We’ll see how that works out.
While I agree to some extent on the facts that you expose, I disagree on the way you express them.
Just to mention some other facts that you may have missed:
* US business have been happy to hire Mexican illegal immigrants because it means cheaper labor for them.
* Many US nationals are happy to buy illegal drugs to get boozed. It’s their own choice and it has become a health problem for the United States.
* US arms manufacturers are happy to pour their products into Mexico, sell them to the cartels and even make custom weapons for the drug lords.
* Drugs are distributed all over the United States.
* Money is being laundered on both sides of the border.
* It’s a multibillion “industry” with many people involved.
THIS is the moment where both countries need to work together. It takes two to tango.
Well put! It’s a very complicated situation, no quick simple fixes as per usual.
The majority of people being taken/kidnapped by ICE are also legal immigrants…like you.
Educate yourself about the reality of what is going on.
You are spewing typical Ugly American style propoganda not based in reality.
Kidnapping people without due process is not what made the USA a place people wanted to live….it was a solid legal system with checks and balances and we no longer live with those. When you are personally affected by the current dictatorship in the USA, you will be singing a different tune.
I am hoping you are a troll who lives in the US because if you live in Mexico, you should return to the US PDQ. We don’t want you here.
My apologies on behalf of this half brained idiot
Piece of MAGA garbage, you are. I’m a USA citizen and if you told me that, I would stand up for my Mexican friends and tell you to F O. You will be driven away, you dog. And as an ex-pat and resident of MX, I will lead the charge. You can return to lick Don’s Orange Juevos. Adios.
Right on! 👍🏼
More spewage from another Trump troll. Stay out of Mexico.
exactly….
Mexico owes the US an apology and financial reimbursement. Mexicans have entered the US illegally, stolen American jobs, stolen public services, committed crimes and are indignant. Cartels have poisoned and killed over 300,000 Americans with fentanyl. Sheinbaum refuses to apologize. 20 million Mexicans are coming home. Make room for them.
Many undocumented immigrants pay taxes: income tax, sales tax, property tax, Social Security and Medicare withdrawals. But they do not claim tax refunds, nor can they ever collect SS or Medicare benefits. The crime rate among immigrants is lower than that of US citizens. Unemployment is now very low in the US, so how is it that immigrants are stealing jobs? The cartels are simply supplying the demand for drugs that people in the US create. What efforts has the US government made to address the addiction that leads to the deaths? Who in the US doesn’t know about the danger of fentanyl? Stop spreading MAGA disinformation about undocumented immigrants. The vast majority are hard-working, law-abiding people doing the best for themselves and their families. US citizens would do well to imitate theoir strengths and virtues.
Hear, Hear (to John Wagner)
Just to mention some other facts that you may have missed:
* US business have been happy to hire Mexican illegal immigrants because it means cheaper labor for them.
* Many US nationals are happy to buy illegal drugs to get boozed. It’s their own choice and it has become a health problem for the United States.
* US arms manufacturers are happy to pour their products into Mexico, sell them to the cartels and even make custom weapons for the drug lords.
* Drugs are distributed all over the United States.
* Money is being laundered on both sides of the border.
* It’s a multibillion “industry” with many people involved, even at high levels. Again, on both sides of the border.
The harsh reality is that the only thing the U.S. is asking everyone to follow is protocol—to ensure you’re not a criminal, rapist, or drug dealer. Over 150 nationalities crossed the border, and not all of them are Mexican. The bad news is that criminals and drug dealers come from Venezuela, Guatemala, Cuba, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Mexico. There are also terrorists from Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, and other regions who live just to kill people in the name of a child molester.
Many Latinos in the U.S. have been working hard and making money, but unfortunately, they never fixed their status. They procrastinated, and now they face the consequences. The sad part is that criminals don’t seem to care that they have caused harm to innocent people.
F.O. you tard. Stay out of MX. Posting from your mom’s basement up north or are you just another TROLL/BOT. Mexico is RISING. USA is dying.
Jim , it would be helpful if you read other news besides fox entertainment. Your views are not based in reality. I hope you can figure it out. Soon.
I’m be curious if William M and Jim are living in Mexico now. If so Why? Or are you sucking from Mexican society because the US isn’t your chosen place of residence??!! and are you disrespecting Mexican people while living here? Unfortunately I have met some people like them who live in our Lakeside town of Ajijic.
Exactly what I was wondering. We’re guests here and need to try to be good ones.
Good discussion
I am so frustrated seeing the ignorant comments by USA citizens. I am from the USA and live half the year in Mexico. I did not vote for Trump and know no one who did. What is going on in the USA right now has nothing to do with keeping citizens safe or making America great.
The violence of the kidnappers/criminals calling themselves ICE agents is making the majority of us angry and sad. The people who work in the fields and do so many other jobs that US citizens havent wanted to do are not “stealing jobs” from anyone. They are hard working people who are the backbone of the economy in the United States. We are protesting, contacting government officials, etc. Most of us feel helpless and powerless to stop the violence toward Mexican immigrants and asylum seekers. Children and adults are getting sick and many dying in the “detention centers” ie: concentration camps. The parallels to Nazi Germany are impossible to ignore. History will not look kindly on those who supported these human rights abuses. I love Mexico. I love the culture and the people. If I could do anything to stop the Trump administration from destroying families and stripping rights from hardworking decent people, I would….This is a devastating time for the USA and for anyone living here who is in a vulnerable position because of their skin color. Heartbreaking.
I am ashamed of my country, but I also know that the evil force at work here now does NOT represent the majority of the people.
So true
Rae Sikora, your post contains an incredible amount of ignorance, straight up lies, a strong dose of bigotry, and just pure hate. The fact you don’t know any of 70+ million American’s who voted for the President only serves to validate my point. You even managed to bring out your anti-semitism through using a Nazi Germany comparison simply to support your political views. It is hard for me to imagine how much hate and bigotry one must have to openly offend and hurt others simply to promote their own viewpoint. The only people devastated in America today or those who are not mature enough to understand that America evolves with every election and when your side is not in the majority, that is the time to strive to find common ground with the other side. If you are ashamed of America perhaps you should first look in the mirror because America is doing fine and things are good in America. If you actually do love Mexico and the Mexican culture it seems strange for you to not know of the complex history Mexico has with its northern neighbor and that over centuries there have been multiple disagreements and we always work it out. It may also help others to know that you do not speak for America or even for the majority of America, President Trump holds that role.
MAGA COWARD. I am a USA citizen. I have Permanent Residency in MX. I am happy to support and respect her. No interest in crossing back over la frontera to even visit because of the KKK Kult. I am a former Trump voter, you worm. I woke up and and left your little greasy Kult. You defend a PEDOPHILE MONSTER and you will get yours one day. Go drink the Kool-Aid and ….
I so agree, Rae!! I didn’t vote for him. In fact, my husband and I moved to Mexico during his first term as President. We are so happy we made that decision! We love Mexico, and it’s people!
Whoever you are, Rae, your misinformation and blaming TRUMP and being ashamed of your country is wrong. Perhaps you were so happy with Biden-Harris, but that is what it tells me: you’re lost, very, very, very lost.
You sound like a socialist, maybe you should stay in Mexico and do not come back to America, any of you.
America is for productive and awake people, not socialist and communist like you and Christine, another woke
mentality. YOU BOTH ARE THE EPITOME OF FAILURE. Goodbye, and please, none of you come back.
I’m a permanent resident in Mexico, and all I know is that in 6 weeks, I’m going on a 4-month vacation/cruise to get away from all the negativity in Mexico. I’ve been sitting at home most of the time trying to avoid the locals so I don’t get any stares or bad service. It’s the big elephant in the room that most of the locals don’t talk about openly, but you can see it in their face and their business transactions. Hopefully, when I return maybe things would have cooled down. That protest yesterday was uncalled for when those demonstrators busted all that glass at the contemporary art museum, banks and other businesses.
this post is directed to Travis Bembenek CEO
My name is Richard Schneider , I have lived in Mexico 6 months a year for the past 40 years. I live in a small town called Alamos in the state of Sonora. Alamos is a town of about 18000 people located at the end of a dead end road in the state of Sonora.
I want to share a good news story of the Mexican and American community working together to make Alamos a better place.
In a way Alamos is an unplaned social experiment. Alamos is unique as it is small, and has a history of Gringos participation in the community for more than 75 years. I will not go into the long story, but it has to do with the reconstruction of abandoned adobe ruins , creating jobs and revitalizing the local economy.
There is an organization called the Comadres that has been functioning for over 50 years, giving out dispensas ( food and other things ) two times a year , Christmas , and Easter. There is a scolorship fund that has helped put hundreds of Mexican kids through college, There is a 200 acre park , with hiking trails , mountain biking , etc, called Parque De La Colorada , which is a Mexican non profit . The property was purchased by a group of Gringos , and access is free for everyone. There is Alamos Dog foundation , that spay,and Nutter dogs for free, to the Mexican community.
I am not stating this to give Gringos credit, but as an example of how we all benefit working together , and learn from each other.
I love Mexico and its people , and I know many Americans that feel the same way. We have things to teach each other , I have learned much from my interactions with Mexican people , that interaction has made my life richer !!!
I am sure that there are many storys in various places in Mexico where there is good news about Mexican Gringo ( American) interaction . I would encourage, others to share there storys , and that Mexico News Daily , do follow up on those storys . Travis , thanks for you informative work , you have the mouthpiece, whats good for everyone is good for everyone
I would just like to add that another thing that should be mentioned is all the Gringo work for the less fortunate Mexicans. Tepehua volunteers, money donated to sponsor the education of young Mexican Children,
charitable organizations that help special needs children to name a few. Ajijic and Lake chapala are very active. So how about doing more in other places and show that we care.
Two weeks ago, the mayor of Chapala wrote in the Mural, a Guadalajara daily newspaper an op ed piece call “American Community: Essential Part of Chapala. Just a few quotes from that article” We share the values of freedom, democracy, and human dignity ,because in Chapala the American Community is not a group of visitors : it is part of our identity”…..I’m not exaggerating when I say that their presence has transformed our municipality for the better. The American Community has energized our economy, strengthened our service and broadened our perspective”.. He ends with ” This is your home. and like any home enriched by history and hope, there is room for everyone. Let’s keep building together.”. Nothing more needs to be said that his eloquent words of gratitude and inclusiveness.
This is the kind of talk, the kind of vitriol that leads to Mexicans not wanting Americans here. If more of us Americans learned to meld into the Mexican culture, learned the openness and smiles and gentle pace of Mexicans, there would be less anger towards our northern neighbors. We have to learn a new way of being.