Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard hopes to speak with Elon Musk about the future of the Tesla factory planned for Nuevo León. (Moisés Pablo Nava/Cuartoscuro)
Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Thursday that he will seek a meeting with Elon Musk to discuss Tesla’s plans for an electric vehicle plant in Mexico.
Asked in a radio interview whether he believed Tesla’s proposed gigafactory project near Monterrey, Nuevo León, wouldn’t go ahead due to Donald Trump’s victory in the United States presidential election, Ebrard said that Musk, Tesla’s CEO, “hasn’t told us anything.”
“… I’m going to arrange a meeting with him soon so that he tells me exactly what he’s thinking,” he said.
Ebrard said that the government will see what it can do to ensure that the multi-billion-dollar project goes ahead.
However, he added that it was “clear” that Tesla’s plans don’t “depend on the decisions we’re taking in Mexico, but rather the general situation of the company, which now has very strong competition from Chinese companies.”
However, he said in July that the project was “paused” because of the possibility that Trump would impose tariffs on vehicles made in Mexico if he won the presidential election in the United States.
That possibility remains live, although it is conceivable that Musk — a massive donor to Trump’s campaign — could negotiate an exemption from any tariffs that a second Trump administration imposes on vehicles made in Mexico.
A decision by Tesla to forge ahead with its planned factory in Nuevo León would be a shot in the arm for the new federal government, which is seeking to capitalize on Mexico’s nearshoring opportunity.
In separate remarks on Thursday, Ebrard said he was “optimistic” about the outcome of the USMCA review scheduled for 2026.
“I’m not saying it’s going to be easy because nothing is easy, but the relationship with President Trump and his government is going to be very good,” he told reporters in Mexico City after attending a retail industry meeting.
Ebrard, Mexico’s foreign minister during most of Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s presidency, said that his confidence that the Mexican government will have a good relationship with the second Trump administration came from the fact that Mexico is the United States’ largest trade partner and that millions of jobs in the U.S. depend on exports to Mexico.
Ebrard expressed confidence that Mexico’s relationship with the second Trump administration would be positive. (Fabián Medina/X)
Ebrard stressed the importance of Mexico, the United States and Canada working together in order to compete with other regions of the world, such as Asia. He said last month that Mexico would “mobilize all legitimate interests in favor of North America” amid the ongoing trade war between the United States and China, which could escalate during Trump’s second term as U.S. president.
The economy minister said Thursday that tariffs on Mexican exports to the United States would only increase costs for U.S. consumers.
Ebrard looks set to play a key role in Mexico’s relationship with the United States during the second Trump presidency, which will commence Jan. 20. As foreign minister in the López Obrador administration, he dealt directly with Trump, including when Mexico was attempting to stave off a tariff threat in 2019.
Citing analysts, Reuters reported on Wednesday that Sheinbaum’s appointment of Ebrard as economy minister “was seen as a powerful signal that Mexico is readying itself with its best political firepower for the USMCA review.”
The bodies of 11 vendors from a small mountain town were found on the outskirts of Guerrero's capital on Wednesday night. (Dassaev Téllez Adame/Cuartoscuro)
Ongoing turf wars between crime groups in the state of Guerrero have produced waves of violence this year, and the conflicts claimed 11 more victims this week in the state capital of Chilpancingo.
The bodies were found in an abandoned pick-up truck that had been set ablaze on the outskirts of the capital on Wednesday night.
The Guerrero Attorney General’s Office offered a million pesos for information that leading to the rescue of Chautipan residents who disappeared in late October. (FGE Guerrero)
Family members identified five of the victims — including three minors — on Thursday, and the local authorities confirmed they were part of a group of 17 who went missing last month. All were residents of Chautipan, a small town in the mountains of Guerrero.
On Nov. 6, the Defense Ministry (Sedena) announced that the criminal organization known as “Los Ardillos” had kidnapped the victims.
This pronouncement came a day after the Army said it was undertaking an all-out search to find the kidnapping victims and two days after one of the missing — a 14-year-old boy — “confessed” under obvious duress that the missing group was acting as look-outs for a rival crime gang.
Crime organizations diversify beyond drug trafficking
Guerrero is one of Mexico’s most violent states, partly due to its location on Pacific coast smuggling routes.
Last year, 1,890 homicides were reported in the state, according to the newspaper El País, while more than 500 murders occurred during just the first three months of 2024. The killings accelerated in October, according to El Sol de México, with 117 recorded in a 30-day period.
Long a focal point of marijuana and poppy cultivation, Guerrero serves as a key transit point for drug shipments traveling north to the United States, and criminal organizations use the port of Acapulco to receive shipments of cocaine from South America.
Chilpancingo, a city of about 280,000 people, has long been the scene of turf battles between two drug gangs, “Los Ardillos” and “Los Tlacos”, according to Insight Crime, a publication specializing in organized crime in Latin America. The intrusion of the “La Familia Michoacana” gang has heightened tensions, producing the latest round of killings in the state.
While Chilpancingo businesses face pressure from extortion, vendors from outside the city have also been affected. (Gobierno de Chilpancingo)
Insight Crime wrote in February that “extortion rackets now extend across a variety of public sectors in Guerrero, from transportation, to local businesses, tour guides, religious events, mining companies, and even small stores selling everyday items.”
Those who refuse to pay up or follow rules sometimes find themselves the targets of violence.
Since the start of 2024, Guerrero has seen an outbreak of murders, which initially targeted taxi and bus drivers — eight of the former and one bus driver were gunned down during the first two months of the year. In October, four more taxi drivers were killed in Acapulco.
The state has also seen a spike in political violence. At least six candidates for public office were killed in Guerrero during the run-up to the national elections on June 2, according to the BBC. And last month, the mayor of Chilpancingo was murdered only a week after being sworn in.
Caught in the crossfire
The latest incident dates back to Oct. 21-22, when 11 Chautipan residents traveled to the municipality of Chilapa to sell dinnerware. When family members lost contact with them, they contacted authorities. Several others went in search of the missing group, but they also failed to return.
When help was not forthcoming, residents of Chautipan staged a protest in front of the state Attorney General’s office (FGE) that lasted six days.
On Nov. 4, Barrera — the 14-year-old boy — was seen bound and injured, appearing to recite a message admitting that the members of his group were involved in drug trafficking.
State authorities immediately offered a 1 million peso reward for information that led to the safe return of the victims. On Tuesday, the Army announced it was sending 400 troops and three military helicopters to carry out a search and rescue operation.
Early on Wednesday morning, authorities found four bodies in an abandoned car in Acapulco, but the FGE has yet to release information regarding their identity.
Later that day, Chilpancingo authorities were alerted to the abandoned Silverado pick-up truck in which the 11 bodies were found.
While the FGE has publicly blamed “Los Ardillos” for the murders, one attorney cited by the newspaper Reforma accused authorities of ensuring impunity for the culprits.
Investigators did not isolate the crime scene and towed the vehicle to FGE headquarters before forensic scientists arrived.
Such failure to follow due process prevents effective prosecution and fuels allegations that some officials are on the payroll of the cartels. The magazine Proceso — citing data from the national statistics institute, INEGI — reported that more than half of Guerrero’s FGE officials failed background checks.
The Saltillo-Nuevo Laredo passenger train line will give residents of Monterrey a direct land route to the U.S. border. (Javier Rentería/Pexels)
Residents of Nuevo León live longer than Mexicans in any other state, and their life expectancy is getting better every year.
According to official figures, life expectancy for the state’s residents was 77.7 as of 2023. The National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) found that women’s life expectancy was 80.9, while men’s was 74.8. Life expectancy in the northern border state has increased steadily since 2020 (when average lifespan decreased across the country due to the pandemic).
Nuevo León Health Minister Alma Rosa Marroquín Escamilla said this milestone is a result of a health care model, followed by public and private institutions, that prioritizes quality and safety.
“We’re working all across Nuevo León to develop innovative strategies and new models of care that prioritize community and humane treatment,” Marroquín said Wednesday at the Sixth Symposium on Ethics, Quality and Safety in Health organized by the state government in collaboration with the private health network Auna México.
Currently, the state Health Department serves 1.2 million people through a program called “New Route: Take Care of Your Health,”, Marroquín explained. It guarantees universal access to medical services, including private hospitals and public clinics like the National Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) and the State Workers’ Social Security Institute (ISSSTE). In Mexico, only people with formal jobs can be enrolled in the IMSS or ISSSTE.
When Marroquín took office three years ago, over 1 million people lacked social security benefits including access to public health services, she said. At a national level, nearly 30% of Mexicans lack access to health services, a number that has nearly doubled since 2016. Similarly, nearly half the population is not enrolled in social security, which provides access to public hospitals.
Marroquín said this milestone is a result of a health care model, followed by public and private institutions, that prioritizes quality and safety. (Iván Guzmán/Pexels)
“This symposium, in collaboration with the government of Nuevo León, is a key opportunity to reinforce the importance of focusing our efforts on people, and thus, promote initiatives that generate a real change in health in Mexico,” said Carlos Aguilar Ojeda, General Manager of Auna México.
As part of their collaboration, the public and private health sectors exchange data, opinions and research through several committees created by the Nuevo León Council, a government advisory agency. Still, the minister acknowledged it is a challenge to integrate everyone’s criteria to support the government’s decision-making process.
Life expectancy in Mexico
Wealth might also play a part in Nuevo León residents’ long life expectancy. Along with Mexico City, the northern state consistently ranks as one of Mexico’s wealthiest entities. Numerous studies have shown that being wealthy is linked to longer life expectancy.
Overall, life expectancy in Mexico is at 76 years — 78.4 for women and 72.1 for men. Following Nuevo León, these are the entities with the highest life expectancy in the country:
Baja California Sur (77.2)
Coahuila (77.1)
Aguascalientes Sonora and Mexico City (76.8)
Chihuahua and Baja California (76.6)
Querétaro (76.3)
Colima (76.2)
Sinaloa (76.1)
Jalisco and Quintana Roo (76)
In contrast, Chiapas (73.1), Guerrero (73.2) and Oaxaca (73.4) show the lowest life expectancy. Unsurprisingly, these are Mexico’s poorest states.
Cacao pods on display at the 2022 Festival del Chocolate. (Damián Sánchez/Cuartoscuro)
The southern state of Tabasco is set to host the 13th edition of the Festival del Chocolate, a massive event celebrating chocolate through cultural and culinary activities for both children and adults.
Happening from Nov. 14 to 17, the event will take place at the Parque Tabasco in the capital city of Villahermosa. Last year, the festival attracted more than 100,000 visitors, according to government estimates.
“This festival will showcase the best of our land, our cocoa and our gastronomy,” Katia Ornelas Gil, head of the Economic Development and Competitiveness Ministry of Tabasco said in a press conference.
The event’s guest of honor will be the Organización del Mundo Maya (Maya World Organization), made up of countries with Maya heritage including Honduras, Guatemala and the Mexican states of Quintana Roo, Yucatán, Campeche, Tabasco and Chiapas. These countries and states will showcase their tourist destinations, cocoa products and culinary traditions. Representatives of these regions will also participate as judges in cultural competitions, and as conference speakers.
Overall, the event will host some 400 exhibitors and 200 cocoa producers, including chocolatiers, cocoa growers, traditional cooks and representatives of artisanal gastronomy, which will offer tastings, workshops, musical performances and pairings related to cocoa.
The festival will also gather chef celebrities like José Ramón Castillo, regarded as Mexico’s best chocolatier, Alana Literas, winner of Mexican cooking series like MasterChef Junior and Top Chef VIP, and Mariano Sandoval, chef of Televisa’s morning program “Hoy,” among others.
Festival activities include guided “multisensory” tours of a cacao farm. (Festival del Chocolate/Facebook)
Beyond chocolate, attendees will see presentations of wines and craft beers that enhance the sensory experience of cocoa.
The event will also host three self-service stores and 15 buyers and producers of cocoa to boost chocolate commercialization.
The National System for the Comprehensive Development of Families (DIF) will organize activities for children to promote knowledge of cocoa. These include painting competitions using chocolate, photography events and a painting exhibition.
For the first time, this year’s edition will host a race at the fairgrounds.
Chocolate is deeply rooted in Mexico’s culture. From the Mayan Nahuatl “xocolatl” or “chicolatl,” pre-Columbian civilizations revered chocolate as a gift from the gods. They consumed it as a hot or cold beverage, used cacao beans as currency and considered it an aphrodisiac.
But despite being the birthplace of cacao, Mexico is not amongst the world’s top producers. According to official figures, Mexico produced over 28,000 tonnes of cacao in 2022, coming in as the 14th largest producer worldwide.
Tabasco, Guerrero and Chiapas are Mexico’s top producers of cacao.
The towering sculptures and murals of Atlixco make the Puebla town a must-see destination for Day of the Dead. (Mireya Novo/Cuartoscuro)
Day of the Dead is arguably the most dynamic, unique and spectacular showcase of Mexican culture. I’ve spent the last several years enjoying the colorful celebration in Mexico City and, while lovely, it just doesn’t quite capture the family element I’ve been looking for. I decided in September that this would be the year that I’d hit the road in search of golder pastures, heading to a place that represented both sides of the coin: artistic creation and authentic reverence. So I made my way to Puebla, one of Mexico’s most culturally rich states and home to Atlixco, the City of Flowers.
Absolutely dripping in marigolds and Day of the Dead decor, this Pueblo Mágico regularly draws tourists for its year-round warm and humid climate. It’s about a 30-minute drive from Puebla city and boasts magnificent views of the surrounding mountains, including the beloved Popocatépetl volcano. Late October is a particularly attractive time of year to visit, as Atlixcans truly go all out for the holiday.
Also present was Porfirio Díaz, who ruled Mexico in the late 19th and early 20th centuries leading up to the Mexican Revolution.
Cuauhtémoc, the last king of the Mexica Empire, was also represented.
Revolutionary leader Pancho Villa was also represented, with a very literal homage to his nickname, the Centaur of the North.
As is the custom, many shops, hotels and restaurants showcased not just catrinas, but also elaborate altars for visitors to enjoy.
Atlixco’s popularity as a wedding destination led locals to create “La novia de Atlixco,” or the bride of Atlixco.
This classic, stylish catrina greets visitors at the entrance of Casa de la Audiencia, a 16th-century building that now serves as an upscale hotel.
Through social media, visitors uncovered a hidden altar at Xolo Mezcalería.
Artist Omar Rangel’s monumental altar at Molino de San Mateo wasn’t just a creative masterpiece – it included an interactive screen for visitors to project photos of their loved ones.
Rangel also constructed a 5-meter-tall altar made solely of bread.
Just a 40-minute ride away is the charming town of Huaquechula, renowned for its majestic altars. Starting in the town’s main square, visitors can follow the journey of a soul from death to the afterlife.
Start in the graveyard, where “causes of death” are written on simple grave markers. This poor soul seems to have suffered dire consequences after some WhatsApp messages came to light.
Souls make their way along the river Apanohuaia on small, brightly-painted boats, dodging potential dangers with the help of the small but mighty Xolo dog. This is just one of nine harrowing stages the dead must pass in order to reach the afterlife.
A golden path of flowers insinuates that the afterlife has successfully been reached.
Some homes were open for the public to enter and pay their respects.
Upon return to Atlixco, I couldn’t leave without climbing Mirador de Cristal on Cerro de San Miguel. I left my hotel on the outskirts of the Zócalo and made my way uphill. The walk was, by all standards, very pleasant.
Parroquia de Santa María de la Natividad is a few blocks away from Atlixco’s main square and looks like an elaborately-decorated cake.
The arts and crafts market takes over a small alley just off the Zocalo.
Avenida Hidalgo, also known as flower street, is full of shops and eating establishments, all which were decorated to the nines for the holiday.
Atlixco is quite lovely to stroll before 9:00 a.m. It’s a sleepy town, with few cafes opening earlier than that.
There are street murals everywhere, many created by local artist Juan Manuel Martínez Caltenco.
The uphill walk to the Mirador Cristal is lined with scenic views and beautiful flowers.
How to reach Atlixco from Mexico City
Take the E-Bus to Paseo Destino, Puebla, which takes between two to three hours. From here, you can Uber about 30 minutes to the center of Atlixco. Alternatively, you can take the ADO bus line from TAPO to CAPU, Puebla’s central station. From CAPU, take the ORO bus to Atlixco’s city center, about 30 minutes.
Upcoming festivals in Atlixco
Christmas Lights Festival (Brilla Fest): Nov. 15 – Dec. 30 Holy Week (Semana Santa): April 14 – 25
Bethany Platanella is a travel planner and lifestyle writer based in Mexico City. She lives for the dopamine hit that comes directly after booking a plane ticket, exploring local markets, practicing yoga and munching on fresh tortillas. Sign up to receive her Sunday Love Letters to your inbox, peruse her blog, or follow her on Instagram.
Yo❤️Animalitos SMA founder Crystal Calderoni and Hannah Hoch, one of the organization’s current leaders, provide loving care and save as many lives as possible at San Miguel de Allende’s Control Canino. (All photos courtesy of Yo❤️Animalitos SMA)
A dedicated group of volunteers has committed to providing loving care and wholesome food to all the dogs that end up in San Miguel de Allende’s municipal pound, Control Canino. The volunteers’ efforts have dramatically increased the percentage of dogs that get adopted from the pound from nearly none to an impressive 42% this year to date. This plucky nonprofit organization, Yo Amo Animalitos SMA (or Yo❤️Animalitos SMA), was founded by Crystal Calderoni in 2022 and is currently run by Hannah Hoch and Michellene Kandert.
Teams of volunteers work three-hour shifts four days per week at Control Canino, providing food, medications and supplies for all the animals, bathing and exercising them, and seeking private veterinary care when needed. They also undertake vigorous outreach efforts to place as many of the animals as possible in loving homes before they must be put down 10 days after their arrival at the pound.
The team works to save abandoned dogs in San Miguel de Allende.
These volunteers’ efforts are especially significant because there has historically been a fraught relationship between San Miguel’s Control Canino and previous volunteers, with some volunteers finding themselves banned from the facility for questioning the welfare of the animals. The municipal government and Yo❤️Animalitos SMA are working to improve that relationship for the good of the dogs — and the few cats — in their care.
Yo❤️Animalitos SMA continues to lobby for a higher standard of care, including the regular provision of food, veterinary care and exercise on the days volunteers are not at the facility and for humane euthanasia methods for those animals who sadly are not adopted before the 10-day limit is up. A liaison officer, Yanis Romero, from the office of the Director of Public Services, Laura Flores, now regularly joins the volunteers at the facility to troubleshoot problems.
“We’re moving in the right direction, due to the strength, passion and heroic efforts of our volunteers,” noted organizer Michellene Kandert.
To the best of the nonprofit’s knowledge, 514 dogs landed at Control Canino from January through October 2024. Of those, the group managed to rescue 212. The majority of the rescued dogs have been adopted, while some are now living in foster care awaiting permanent adoption. Also, 17 dogs (4% of the total) were returned to their owners.
San Miguel de Allende Mayor Mauricio Trejo shakes hands with Naomi Lawler and Crystal Calderoni upon reaching an agreement to provide access for Yo❤️Animalitos SMA volunteers to San Miguel’s Control Canino. Others pictured, from left to right: officials Alejandro Castro, Sofia Álvarez and José Luis Pérez.
Yo❤️Animalitos SMA has achieved this huge increase in adoptions through a concerted social media campaign on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and through other outreach efforts. To learn more about the animals currently available for adoption, visit the group’s Facebook page,Yo❤️Animalitos SMA SMA – Los Voluntarios de Control Canino.
Yo❤️Animalitos SMA has invested approximately US $17,000 in improving the facilities at Control Canino on land generously donated by Arno K. Naumann, an expat who also founded the nonprofit organizationAmigos de Animales de San Miguel de Allende to address the overpopulation of dogs and cats in the area through spay and neuter campaigns. Naumann was a tireless advocate of animal welfare until his death in 2021. Amigos de Animales recently began providing partial reimbursement to Yo❤️Animalitos SMA to defray the expense of sterilizing each animal adopted from Control Canino.
“We hope that someday the government will utilize the building on this land that was intended to become a spay and neuter clinic,” noted Yo❤️Animalitos SMA founder Crystal Calderoni, “because making sterilization a municipal priority is the only effective way to mitigate the need for a kill shelter.”
Yo❤️Animalitos SMA also works with various local groups and individuals such as Lucky Dog and Jessica Princess Pea. By combining their efforts, they find more homes for more dogs.
Yo❤️Animalitos SMA volunteers at San Miguel de Allende’s Control Canino. Leaders Michellene Kandert and Hannah Hoch (with dog) at front center.
The organization has developed strong adoption protocols, accompanying new owners on initial required veterinary visits — and paying for the veterinary services if the adopter is of limited means.
Another important improvement that Yo❤️Animalitos SMA is currently pushing the government to adopt is the use of red biohazard bags for euthanized dogs (since they are not cremated due to lack of a cremation facility). The corpses are currently disposed of in standard black garbage bags which creates a potential biohazard for trash pickers at the municipal dump who scavenge for valuables in the garbage.
How readers can help
Yo❤️Animalitos SMA eagerly welcomes volunteers, who can be helpful in a variety of ways, from directly caring for the animals at Control Canino to hosting fundraisers for the organization. The annual budget required is a minimum of US $25,000 for food, veterinary care, equipment, and some of the transport costs for dogs who are adopted by people living in the U.S. and Canada.
Readers can also support the organization’s efforts with in-kind donations of dog and cat food, collars, leashes, blankets, treats, sweaters for the winter, flea + tick shampoo, and cleaning supplies, and through PayPal donations. Two of the volunteers also host a monthly yoga class in San Miguel de Allende as a fundraiser. To donate, volunteer, and attend or host a fundraiser, contact the organizers throughYo❤️Animalitos SMA SMA – Los Voluntarios de Control Canino.
Based in San Miguel de Allende, Ann Marie Jackson is a writer and NGO leader who previously worked for the U.S. Department of State. Her award-winning novel “The Broken Hummingbird,” which is set in San Miguel de Allende, came out in October 2023. Ann Marie can be reached through her website, annmariejacksonauthor.com.
While she didn't give details, Sheinbaum promised that Mexico's 2025 federal budget will keep social programs but still find significant savings to fund her infrastructure investment plans. (Rogelio Morales/Cuartoscuro)
Foreign investment opportunities, efforts to clean up three highly-contaminated rivers and the 2025 federal budget were among the issues President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke about at her morning press conference on Thursday.
Here is a brief recap of her latest mañanera.
At her press conference Thursday, Sheinbaum told reporters about her meeting with Blackrock CEO Larry Fink. (Presidencia)
Larry Fink ‘agrees that it’s a good time for Mexico’
“There are opportunities for investment, international funds have a place in our country,” she said.
“… We agreed on many issues. For example, we spoke about the development of ports and highways, and about mixed [public-private] investment schemes that were developed with President López Obrador,” Sheinbaum said.
“All that was part of the conversation, and he agrees that it’s a good time for Mexico,” Sheinbaum said, referring to the country’s nearshoring opportunity.
Asked whether Fink made any commitment to invest a certain amount of money in Mexico, Sheinbaum said that they didn’t speak in particular about “figures.”
In 2023, flooding in Tula, Hidalgo, in September 2023 required the federal government to repair the Tula River in Tula, Hidalgo. The Mexico City metropolitan area sends its wastewater to this part of the river. (Francisco Villeda/Cuartoscuro)
Conagua working to clean up 3 rivers
Sheinbaum said that the National Water Commission (Conagua) has begun projects to clean up Mexico’s “most contaminated” rivers: the Tula River in Hidalgo; the Atoyac River in Puebla; and the Lerma-Santiago River in Jalisco.
The commission is working to determine all the causes of contamination, she said.
“There are industrial sources of contamination,” Sheinbaum said, adding that companies that are breaching regulations are being forced to comply.
“Companies that discharge [contaminants] to drains or to a river or to any body of water have to comply with a norm, and that norm requires them to have treatment plants,” she said.
Sheinbaum said that some municipal authorities are also contaminating rivers with untreated wastewater.
Cleaning up contaminated rivers is “very important work and there obviously has to be resources to be able to do all the projects,” she said.
“But it is fundamental because … we have to have healthy rivers,” Sheinbaum said.
2025 budget is ‘practically ready’
Sheinbaum noted that the government’s proposed 2025 budget has to be sent to Congress by Nov. 15.
“Obviously the social programs are maintained, there are resources for new programs, for education, for health care,” she said.
“There are savings in some areas, very significant ones too, that allow us to direct investment to trains, highways and water [projects],” Sheinbaum said.
“The [budget] package is practically ready. We’ve been working on it since before we came into government,” she said.
Donald Trump will be the U.S. next president in 2025. What does that mean for Mexico? (Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons)
Migrants. Drugs. Imports that pose a threat to the viability of industries in the United States.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump would like to stop them all from entering the U.S. from Mexico.
President Claudia Sheinbaum will soon be Mexico’s third president who needs to build a useful relationship with Donald Trump. (Rogelio Morales Ponce/Cuartoscuro)
The lengths to which he is willing to go to get what he wants could significantly define Mexico’s relationship with the United States during the four years of the second Trump presidency.
Claudia Sheinbaum, sworn in as Mexico’s first female president five weeks ago, will become the third Mexican president to deal with soon-to-be President Trump, who is well-known for his unpredictability.
Sheinbaum’s capacity, and that of other Mexican officials, to effectively manage the relationship with the second Trump administration, and defend Mexico’s interests under the almost inevitable pressure to come, will be crucial to the success of her government, and the country as a whole.
In her initial remarks on Trump’s victory, she sought to downplay the risk he will pose to Mexico as president, telling Mexicans both here and in the United States that “there is no reason for concern.”
“… There will be a good relationship with the United States. I’m sure about that,” Sheinbaum said.
Donald Trump is widely disliked by Mexicans thanks to his negative rhetoric about Mexico and Mexicans. This “paint-in” called ‘Graffiti Vs. Trump,” in Mexico City last month created artworks calling on voters not to elect Trump in the upcoming U.S. election. (Magdalena Montiel/Cuartoscuro)
While there is no certainty that the Trump administration will execute plans precisely as they were described during the presidential election campaign — perhaps it is even unlikely — there is still significant concern in Mexico about how the country will be affected by them.
While he is a polarizing — and popular — figure in the United States, Trump is widely disliked in Mexico, in large part due to the various disparaging remarks he has made about the country and its people.
With the commencement of a second Trump administration just 2 1/2 months away, let’s take a closer look at how some of the plans of the 47th U.S. president could affect Mexico.
Trump’s border security plan and Mexico’s potential role in it
During a victory speech in Florida in the early hours of Wednesday morning, Trump once again pledged to “fix our borders.”
He made stopping illegal immigration to the United States via Mexico a central platform of his third presidential bid, and during his campaign outlined plans to hire an additional 10,000 border agents, deploy the military to the border, expand the border wall and implement immigration policies even stricter than those of his first term.
The success of his plan, however, could ultimately hinge on Mexico’s willingness and capacity to stop migrants from reaching the Mexico-United States border.
Trump is well aware of that, prompting him on the eve of the U.S. presidential election to issue a threat to “immediately” impose a 25% tariff on all Mexican exports to the United States if the government of Mexico doesn’t stop what he called an “onslaught” of criminals (read migrants) and drugs to the U.S.
He used a tariff threat to his advantage during his first term as president, pledging to impose 5% duties on all Mexican exports if the Mexican government didn’t do more to stem migration to the United States.
These days, immigration at Mexico’s southern border, where most migrants enter the country via Chiapas, is managed by the military and National Guard. (Damián Sánchez Jesús/Cuartoscuro)
“We got Mexico to give us 28,000 soldiers free of charge, no cost, and we had the greatest border in history,” Trump said at a rally in 2023.
Will he have similar success in getting Mexico to effectively become a second “border wall” during his second term as president? According to a former head of Mexico’s National Immigration Institute, his chances are good.
“We’ve seen what Trump does. What he is proposing is the 3.0 version of the same increased pressures on Mexico,” Tonatiuh Guillén told The New York Times.
“Mexico gave in to the pressures back then, and the question is whether Mexico will give in again. I think the likelihood it will is high,” he said.
Trump on Monday said his tariff plan has “a 100% chance of working” because if Mexico — the world’s biggest exporter to the United States — doesn’t respond to a 25% tariff threat, he’ll increase it to 50%, 75% or even 100% if need be.
This group of immigrants had been put on buses by immigration officials in Tapachula, Chiapas, to be taken to the United States border to apply for asylum. However, they were stranded in Zacatecas, where they finally appealed to the state human rights commission for help. (Adolfo Vladimir/Cuartoscuro)
How would mass deportations from the US affect Mexico?
In addition to stopping migrants coming into the United States, Trump wants to get large numbers of those already there out of the country.
Reuters reported on Wednesday that Trump is “expected to mobilize agencies across the U.S. government to help him deport record numbers of immigrants, building on efforts in his first term to tap all available resources and pressure so-called ‘sanctuary’ jurisdictions to cooperate, according to six former Trump officials and allies.”
There are an estimated 4 million undocumented Mexican migrants in the United States that could face expulsion under Trump’s mass deportation plan.
“Mexico could also find itself pressured, as in the past, to accept Venezuelans, Nicaraguans or Cubans, who are sometimes unable to be deported to their origin countries for diplomatic reasons,” the New York Times reported.
The deportation of large numbers of Mexicans could have a considerable impact on the amount of money Mexico receives in remittances (more than US $63 million in 2023), and completely cut off a much-needed source of income for many Mexican families.
Trump could use all the relationships and connections he built during his first term as president to help him achieve his goals to severely curtail immigration and conduct mass deportations of immigrants in the United States. (File photo/Andrea Hanks for the White House)
Furthermore, the Mexican economy could struggle to provide jobs for large numbers of deportees who suddenly find themselves in Mexico after being uprooted from their lives in the United States. Unemployment would inevitably increase if the economy can’t integrate them all.
Needless to say, the deportation of large numbers of migrants from the United States — many of whom work in low-paid but essential jobs — would also have a major impact on the U.S. economy.
“It would be an economic disaster for America and Americans,” said Zeke Hernández, an economics professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
“It’s not just the immigrants who would be harmed, but we, the people of America, would be economically harmed,” he said.
How far could Trump go to combat Mexican cartels?
Both “criminals” and “drugs” are what Mexico needs to stop crossing the border into the U.S. if it is to avoid tariffs on its exports, according to the threat Trump made on Monday.
While he put the onus on Mexico with that remark, Trump has indicated that his future government could take additional action of its own to stem the northward flow of drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid largely responsible for the drug overdose crisis in the United States in recent years.
In order to combat the trafficking of illegal drugs into the United States, Trump has raised the idea of using the National Guard to supplement Customs and Border Patrol officers and even using U.S. military strikes against the cartels that smuggle drugs into the U.S. (CBP/Twitter)
“Mexico’s going to have to straighten it out really fast or the answer is ‘absolutely,'” Trump told Fox News.
Other Republican party figures, such as Senator Lindsey Graham, have advocated the use of the United States military in Mexico to combat cartels that smuggle fentanyl and other drugs into the U.S.
Former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador categorically rejected the idea that the United States military could be used in Mexico, and in 2019 declined an offer from Trump to help Mexico combat organized crime after an attack on members of an extended Mormon family in northern Mexico that killed three women and six children.
If the United States was to unilaterally use its military against Mexican cartels, it would be “extremely damaging” for the U.S.-Mexico relationship, according to the head of the Inter-American Dialogue, Rebecca Bill Chavez, who was quoted by The New York Times.
She said that such a move — which would not necessarily result in less narcotics reaching the United States — could jeopardize all cooperation between Mexico and the U.S., including on trade.
Sheinbaum is continuing to use the Mexican military for law enforcement against cartels, but it is virtually unthinkable that she would consent to U.S. military action against the criminal organizations, no matter how determined she is to combat high levels of violent crime in Mexico.
In response to a tariff threat from Trump, the Sheinbaum administration could conceivably argue that Mexico is already making significant efforts to stop illegal drugs crossing into the United States.
During the election campaign, Trump also made repeated threats to impose hefty tariffs on vehicles made in Mexico. His threats appeared mainly directed at Chinese automakers that are planning to open plants in Mexico, such as BYD, but in September he pledged to “put a 100% tariff on every single car coming across the Mexican border.”
Trump recently warned Chinese automakers that he will not abide them building plants in Mexico to export cars to the United States. (BYD)
“I will impose whatever tariffs are required — 100%, 200%, 1,000% — they’re not going to sell any cars into the United States with those plants,” Trump said, referring to facilities that have not yet been built.
As president, he also said he would “seek strong new protections against transshipment so that China and other countries cannot smuggle their products and auto parts into the United States tax-free through Mexico to the detriment of our workers and our supply chains.”
U.S. tariffs on vehicles made in Mexico would of course be detrimental to Mexico’s vast auto sector, whose exports primarily go to the United States. Tariffs specifically targeted at vehicles made in Mexico by Chinese automakers could cause such companies to reconsider their plans to invest in Mexico, even as they publicly say they have no intention to export to the U.S.
Cancellation of Chinese auto plant plans would, of course, mean that Mexico doesn’t receive the investment and associated benefits it otherwise would.
Mexico could also come under pressure from the Trump administration to limit its trade and investment dealings with China and Chinese companies.
There are signs that it is already yielding to U.S. pressure.
Furthermore, the Sheinbaum administration appears determined to reduce reliance on Chinese imports. Deputy Economy Minister for Foreign Trade Luis Rosendo Gutiérrez Romano told The Wall Street Journal last month that the government wants U.S. automakers and semiconductor manufacturers with a presence in Mexico, as well as large aerospace and electronics companies, to substitute some goods and components made in China as well as Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan.
Such an initiative would presumably be welcomed by a U.S. administration led by Trump, who initiated a trade war with China during his first term as president and looks set to be even tougher on the East Asian economic powerhouse during his second term.
Willingness to cooperate with the United States on efforts to reduce reliance on China and bolster the North American economy — as the Sheinbaum administration has demonstrated in its first month in office — could help Mexico to get a more favorable outcome when the USMCA is renegotiated in 2026.
Trump said last month that he would have “a lot of fun,” renegotiating the three-way pact as he seeks to improve — from a United States’ perspective — what he described as already “a great deal.”
Reuters: Sheinbaum has ‘room to negotiate’
Reuters reported on Wednesday that Mexico “must maneuver carefully” given that Trump will soon return to the White House, but added that President Sheinbaum “still has room to negotiate and soften the impact on trade, migration and security.”
Citing analysts, the news agency said that after a likely deterioration of relations with the U.S. in the short term, “Mexico has some leverage, particularly on migration, that could help dilute some of Trump’s pledges in areas such as trade and security.”
Mariana Campero, senior associate with the CSIS Americas Program, told Reuters that Sheinbaum could say to the Trump administration, “‘Okay, Mexico can take [deported] Mexican nationals back, but you won’t impose the tariffs.'”
The Mexican government, Reuters said, could also ask U.S. companies that benefit from the USMCA to lobby the Trump administration against tariffs on Mexican exports.
A street mural by a Chicano artist in San Francisco's Mission District alludes to Mexico's cultural history. (Fabrice Florine/Flickr)
Running through Nov. 9, Mexico City is hosting its fourth annual Chicano Cultural Encounter, an event that celebrates Chicano identity through artistic and cultural activities and the links between Mexican Americans in the U.S. and Mexicans in Mexico.
Chicano – or “Chicanx,” the nongendered version of the word used by the event’s organizers in their name – is an identifier for people of Mexican descent born in the United States.
The events are a mix of cultural events ranging from art workshops to lectures. This group was part of a poetry slam event held at the National Autonomous University’s School of Sciences and Humanities. (Chicanx Sin Fronteras/Instagram)
The event is organized by Chicanxs Sin Fronteras (Chicanxs Without Borders), founded in 2022 in Mexico City to create cultural projects that promote Chicano identity and its connection to Mexican culture. Touching on themes like migration, identity and community resistance, the Mexico City event celebrating Chicano culture aims to connect two communities that face similar issues despite being geographically separated.
The event is taking place in 10 different venues across Mexico City, including academic institutions like the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), art galleries such as the José María Velasco Gallery, and government venues such as the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature (INBAL).
“Our challenge as a collective is not only to be a bridge between the communities on the other side of the border and this city but also between government and higher education institutions, and community and independent spaces in places like the town of La Candelaria or Tepito, among others,” Alfonso Vázquez, the collective’s founder and event coordinator told newspaper La Jornada.
Vázquez added that one of the main purposes of the event is to counter negative narratives in the U.S. and Mexico about Mexican migrant communities, aiming to highlight the value and contributions of Chicano culture.
“Chicano culture and Mexico City share a common history, but the truth is that most people here [in Mexico] are unaware of what Chicano culture is and who its main representatives are,” Alfredo Matus, head of the José María Velasco Gallery, said in a press conference.
This year’s edition features activities that include art, poetry, activism, and film. The program includes book presentations on migration issues and discussion panels on education, incarceration and deportation in binational contexts.
This year’s event will also pay tribute to the late Armando “El Profe” Vázquez Ramos, a Mexican who came to the U.S. at 12 with his parents and became a civil rights activist and taught Chicano studies for 25 years at California State University, Long Beach. (Luz Vázquez-Ramos)
The event will also pay tribute to Armando Vázquez-Ramos, a leading figure in the study of Chicano culture who became known in the U.S. for creating the first university program to allow Dreamers to study abroad and return to the U.S. legally. He died in August in the U.S. of cancer.
The principles of “carnalismo” (brotherhood) and community empowerment will be showcased throughout the entire program of activities, organizers said.
Artists and activists from both sides of the border will participate in the event, including academics, writers and members of community organizations that work with youth and former gang members in California.
Guests include activists from Underground Scholars, an organization that supports prison education; artists from Homeboy Art Academy by Homeboy Industries, a gang rehabilitation program; and writers such as Carmen Tafolla and Dulce M. López, whose work focuses on the richness and diversity of Chicano culture.
The event is free of charge. Some activities and conferences will be livestreamed on social media, including Instagram, using the handle @chicanxs_sin_fronteras.
"Pedro Páramo" had its streaming debut on Wednesday. (Netflix Latam/X)
“Pedro Páramo,” an epic adaptation of Juan Rulfo’s iconic Mexican novel, is available on Netflix as of Wednesday.
The 137-minute movie made its world premiere in September in the Toronto International Film Festival and played just two weeks ago in the Morelia International Film Festival in Michoacán.
The film marks the feature-length directorial debut of renowned Mexican cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, features a star-studded Mexican cast and was shot in locations around Mexico. Its Netflix presentation includes subtitles in English and nine other languages.
The project represented a great challenge due to the essence of Rulfo’s literary work, in which the main character travels to the ghost town of Comala to search for a father he doesn’t know, Pedro Páramo. Though less than 150 pages, the book is a difficult first-time read, as lines between the living and the dead that blur and incidents from the past and present intertwine.
Now considered a literary masterpiece, “Pedro Páramo” sold poorly and received only a few lukewarm reviews when it was first published in Mexico City in 1955.
Its ascent to becoming a cornerstone of Latin American literature, however, can be intuited in this famous quote from “Love in the Time of Cholera” author Gabriel García Márquez: “Without reading ‘Pedro Páramo,’ I wouldn’t have been able to write ‘100 Years of Solitude,’” another masterpiece of magical realism.
When the main character travels to the ghost town of Comala, the lines between life, death, past and present blur in Juan Rulfo’s masterpiece of Mexican magical realism. (Netflix Latam/X)
As for the movie, “Pedro Páramo” was listed as the No. 1 film on Netflix within 24 hours of its release, but it has received mixed reviews so far. RogerEbert.com called it “an alluring ghost story full of visual intrigue and surrealist imagery.” But the New York Times deemed it a “grave adaptation” of the novel in which “the filmmaking is oddly orthodox.”
Mexican actor Manuel García Rulfo stars as Juan Preciado, the man who is confronted with a desolate town filled with whispers and wandering souls. The 43-year-old is best known for his roles in films such as “The Magnificent Seven” in 2016 and the current Netflix series “The Lincoln Lawyer.”
Other Mexican stars in “Páramo” include Tenoch Huerta of “Black Panther” fame and Ilse Salas, twice nominated for an Ariel Award (often called a Mexican Oscar) for best actress. She won in 2019 for “Las Niñas Bien” (“The Good Girls”) and also received acclaim for her role in Alonso Ruizpalacios’ acclaimed 2014 coming-of-age film “Güeros” (also on Netflix).
Prieto said directing the ambitious “Páramo” project took him back to his high school years when Rulfo’s classic was required reading. He called it “an exciting challenge and a deeply personal journey.”
Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Marquez credited Juan Rulfo’s “Pedro Páramo” with inspiring his literary masterpiece, “One Hundred Years of Solitude.” (Netflix Latam/X)
Prieto, 59, is “one of the most acclaimed and respected cinematographers in the world,” according to the Morelia film fest catalog, one who uses meticulous setups, unconventional camerawork and rich colors.
A multiple Ariel Award winner, he has been nominated for Academy Awards for his work on “Brokeback Mountain” and three Martin Scorsese movies, including “The Irishman.” He made his directorial debut 11 years ago with the short film “Likeness” following his breakthrough as a cinematographer for “Amores Perros” in 2000.
“Páramo” was filmed in the states of Nayarit and San Luis Potosí, and in Mexico City. “Many exteriors were required,” Prieto said. “Streets with specific characteristics, plazas, fondas [homestyle restaurants] and the Media Luna,” a lagoon in San Luis Potosí.
According to a release from Netflix, the film brought in more than 375 million pesos (US $18.8 million) to Mexico’s economy, with a production team of more than 550 technicians and artists. In San Luis Potosí alone, there were more than 2,500 workers and 900 extras, resulting in nearly 15,0000 hotel nights booked in the state.
The costume design department collaborated with artisans and tailors from around the country: huaraches from Comala, Colima; sarapes from Contla, Tlaxcala; charro tailors from Aguascalientes, and rebozos from the México state. In all, more than 5,000 garments were designed and made for the film, according to the release.
The soundtrack was performed by more than 30 traditional musicians from Jalisco, Michoacán, San Luis Potosí, Puebla, Chiapas and Mexico City.
