Thursday, July 17, 2025

In response to Trump speech, AMLO plans to send his ‘friend Donald’ a letter

By
MND Staff
-
23
AMLOAMLO and Donald Trump walk down a red carpet in an elegant hallway. and Donald Trump walk down a red carpet in a long corridor.
AMLO diplomatically expressed his concern over Trump's most recent anti-migrant comments, saying he'd send 'his friend Donald Trump' a letter. (Presidencia de México)

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Friday that he would send a letter to former United States president Donald Trump about migration and the importance of economic integration in North America, after Trump gave a fiery anti-migrant speech at the U.S. Republican National Convention.

“I’m going to send a letter … to my friend Donald Trump because I think they’re not informing him well about the migration issue and also about the importance of maintaining economic integration between the United States, Mexico and Canada,” AMLO told reporters at his morning press conference, in response to the U.S. presidential candidate’s speech.

His remarks came after Trump told attendees at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee that he intended to close the United States’ southern border with Mexico on “Day 1” if elected to a second term as U.S. president.

López Obrador said he would “prove” to Trump that migrants aren’t smuggling drugs into the United States.

“This is a despicable lie,” he said. “Migrants go to the United States to work, honorably.”

López Obrador also said he would remind Trump that the United States “was established and became a power thanks to migrants from all over the world.”

AMLO stands speaking at a podium
President López Obrador responded to Trump’s speech at his regular Friday morning press conference. (lopezobrador.org.mx)

“They arrived and made a very prosperous country. This must be made clear,” he said.

AMLO, who maintained a cordial relationship with Trump during his 2017-21 presidency, said he would also inform the Republican Party presidential candidate that “economic integration helps us, and nothing is resolved by closing the border” between Mexico and the United States, which are each other’s largest trade partner.

“What’s more, [the border] cannot and must not [be closed],” he said.

The border — across which almost US $2 billion worth of goods are transported every day — “would not bear being closed for one month!” López Obrador said.

“They wouldn’t put up with it. Not the farmers, not the manufacturers, not the investors in the United States, not the workers in the United States,” AMLO said.

“It would affect us as well, but it would affect them more,” he said.

As Trump is “an intelligent man with vision,” López Obrador continued, “I know he will change his way of thinking.”

AMLO points to a post on the social media platform X, in which he condemns the violence Trump faced at a recent campaign rally.
López Obrador once again condemned the shooting that injured the U.S. presidential candidate at a recent campaign rally. (lopezobrador.org.mx)

After once again lamenting the assassination attempt on Trump last Saturday and claiming he was the first world leader to condemn the attack, AMLO said he would send his letter to the Republican party candidate next week.

“It’s not about fighting, it’s about speaking the truth and having knowledge of reality,” he said.

Earlier this week, López Obrador said that gun control is urgently needed in the United States, and suggested that U.S. President Joe Biden and former president Trump should both pledge to impose greater regulations on the sale of firearms.

Smugglers move large numbers of guns from the United States into Mexico, where they often end up in the hands of criminal organizations that send illicit drugs and migrants north.

United States government data released this week indicated a significant decline in the number of migrants attempting to illegally enter the U.S. via Mexico since Biden implemented a new border policy in early June, but illegal immigration is still set to be a major issue in the U.S. presidential election.

What did Trump say about Mexico during his nomination acceptance speech?

Just five days after his right ear was grazed by a bullet shot by a 20-year-old gunman as he spoke at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, Trump formally accepted the presidential nomination of the Republican Party.

During a lengthy nomination acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention on Thursday night, the 45th U.S. president made a number of implicit and explicit references to Mexico. Below is a selection of those remarks.

On migrants entering the United States via the border with Mexico 

“We also have an illegal immigration crisis, and it’s taking place right now, as we sit here in this beautiful arena. It’s a massive invasion at our southern border that has spread misery, crime, poverty, disease, and destruction to communities all across our land. Nobody’s ever seen anything like it.”

On his plan to end the immigration “crisis”

“I will end the illegal immigration crisis by closing our border and finishing the wall, most of which I’ve already built.”

An audience listens to Donald Trump, visible on a overhead screen, as he gives a speech at the Republican National Convention.
Trump told the crowd that if elected, he would close the border with Mexico. (Donald Trump/Facebook)

“… At the heart of the Republican platform is our pledge to end this border nightmare, and fully restore the sacred and sovereign borders of the United States of America. And we’re going to do that on Day 1. That means two things on Day 1, right? Drill, baby, drill and close our borders.”

On the USMCA trade pact 

“I got rid of NAFTA the worst trade deal ever made and replaced it with USMCA, which is, they say, the best trade deal ever made.”

On Chinese automakers’ (proposed) production of cars in Mexico    

“Right now as we speak, large factories, just started, are being built across the border in Mexico. So, with all the other things happening at our border, and they’re being built by China to make cars and to sell them into our country, no tax, no anything. The United Autoworkers ought to be ashamed for allowing this to happen and the leader of the United Auto Workers should be fired immediately and every single autoworker, union and nonunion, should be voting for Donald Trump because we’re going to bring back car manufacturing and we’re going to bring it back fast.”

* Chinese automakers including BYD and Solarever Electric Vehicles have announced plans to open plants in Mexico. But construction has not yet commenced on any of the announced plants. 

Mexico News Daily 

A cloudy economic forecast? Mexico shows 0% monthly growth in June

By
MND Staff
-
3
Mexico City cityscape view at night with cloudy sky
Mexico's preliminary growth data for June makes for a cloudy economic growth outlook for 2024. (Cuartoscuro)

The Mexican economy grew just 0.9% in annual terms in June, according to preliminary data published by the national statistics agency INEGI on Friday.

On a month-over-month basis, the Mexican economy was stagnant, recording 0% growth in June.

Tourists take a selfie on a beach in Cancún
The tertiary or services sector, which includes tourism, is expected to show 1.6% annual growth in June, while the manufacturing sector saw a contraction. (Cuartoscuro)

INEGI said in a press release that final data is expected to show that the secondary or manufacturing sector of the economy recorded a 0.1% contraction in June compared to the same month of 2023.

Final data is expected to show that the tertiary or services sector grew 1.6% annually in June.

INEGI didn’t publish data for the primary or agricultural sector.

The 0.9% economy-wide annual growth rate in June represents a slowdown from a 1.2% expansion in May.

Analyst forecasts economic growth of 1.6% in first half of 2024 

Gabriela Siller, director of economic analysis at Mexican bank Banco Base, said on X that the latest economic data indicates that the Mexican economy grew 1.21% annually in the second quarter of the year and 0.12% compared to the January-March quarter.

“These figures are normally revised at a later date,” Siller acknowledged.

“… Considering possible revisions, the Base financial group estimates that the GDP of Mexico grew 0.20% quarterly and 1.29% annually in the second quarter,” she wrote.

Siller highlighted that Banco Base’s forecast annual growth figure for the second quarter would represent a slowdown from 1.93% growth in Q1. She also said that an annual growth of 1.29% in Q2 would be the lowest rate for any quarter since Q1 of 2021.

Construction Tren Maya
Mexico’s economic growth has been expected to slow in 2024, but forecasts are now even less optimistic based on the data published so far for the year. (Cuartoscuro)

If final data shows that the economy did in fact grow 1.29% annually in Q2, annual growth in the first six months of the year will be 1.61%, Siller said.

“This is concerning because in election years the Mexican economy [normally] grows more in the first half of the year. The only exception is 1988,” the Banco Base analyst wrote.

She forecast that annual economic growth this year will be 1.6%, down from 3.2% in 2023.

The pace of economic growth in Mexico is widely forecast to slow this year, in part due to a slowdown in the United States economy.

IMF lowers 2024 growth outlook for Mexico 

Earlier this week, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) revised downward its 2024 growth forecast for Mexico “due to moderation in demand.”

The IMF is now predicting that Mexico’s GDP will increase 2.2% this year, a reduction of 0.2 points from its previous 2.4% forecast.

imf
The IMF lowered its growth forecast for Mexico and also for the United States for 2024 after a “slower-than-expected start to the year.”(IMF)

The Washington-based financial institution is forecasting that the Mexican economy will grow 1.6% in 2025.

The IMF also cut its 2024 forecast for the U.S. economy — Mexico’s largest trade partner — lowering its growth projection to 2.6% from 2.7%. The downward revision reflects “the slower-than-expected start to the year,” the IMF said.

Other ‘need-to-know’ economic data for Mexico 

With reports from El Economista 

Authorities find 85-meter ‘mega tunnel’ used for fuel theft in México state

By
MND Staff
-
1
It is unknown how long the tunnel was being used by gas thieves in México state.
It is unknown how long the tunnel was being used by gas thieves in México state.(@FiscaliaEdomex/X)

State and local authorities seized control of an 85-meter-long tunnel that was being used to steal from a Pemex gasoline duct in México state.

The “mega tunnel” was located inside a house in San Bartolo in the municipality of Acolman, a few miles south of the Teotihuacán pyramids and archaeological complex.

The state Attorney General’s Office (FGJE) issued a statement on Thursday detailing the operation that led to the discovery of the underground passage after a warrant was issued to search the San Bartolo property. 

The statement explained that the warrant was obtained after Acolman authorities notified the FGJE about suspicious excavation activities in San Bartolo.

During the inspection, the police discovered an access point to a tunnel three meters below the surface. Agents descended into the 1-meter wide tunnel and found five taps protruding from the ceiling of the passageway. The taps were connected to a fuel duct.

The FGJE did not disclose whether there was an access point at the far end of the tunnel, nor did it speculate how long the tunnel might have been used to steal fuel, popularly known as huachicoleo.

The area around the property was cordoned off and Acolman’s civil protection agency was on scene to determine if there was danger of an explosion and if the area should be evacuated.

The FGJE was preparing to turn the case over to the Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) as fuel theft is a federal crime. There were no arrests reported as of Friday morning.

This marks the second fuel theft tunnel located in the municipality of Acolman this year, after state and local authorities discovered evidence of huachicoleo in the Santa Catarina ejido. 

The 200-meter long tunnel in Santa Catarina was far more sophisticated than the one in San Bartolo. The length of the passageway was strung with light bulbs as well as high-pressure hoses and pumping equipment. The tunnel featured a cement floor and a series of wooden support poles and ended at taps connected to a Pemex pipeline.

The Mexican government began cracking down on huachicoleo shortly after President Andrés Manuel López Obrador took office in December of 2018, but fuel thieves have since turned to building tunnels to sustain their illicit business.

In May, Mexico’s national oil company Pemex reported it was losing US $1.2 billion per day to gas thieves, and the overall losses during the first three months of this year were four times greater than net profit during Q1 2024.

Earlier this month, Pemex reported that huachicoleo in México state was primarily targeting jet fuel and illegal taps had also been discovered within Mexico City.

With reports from Infobae, La Jornada and Expansión

5 questions about Mexico’s semiconductor industry: An interview with Pedro Casas

By
MND Staff
-
1
Pedro Casas Alatriste
Pedro Casas is the Executive Vice President and CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce of Mexico. (AmCham)

Last October, Mexico and the United States launched a joint “semiconductor action plan” that aims to make North America the world’s “most powerful” chip-producing region.

In March, the United States announced it would partner with Mexico in a new semiconductor initiative to strengthen and grow the Mexican semiconductor industry.

Ministerial meeting of the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity, with member country representatives seated at banquet tables in a foermal room at the US White House.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the Western Hemisphere Semiconductor Initiative at a meeting for foreign ministers of the member countries of the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity, which took place at the White House on Wednesday. (US government)

And just this week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Mexico will be one of three Latin American countries to initially benefit from the Western Hemisphere Semiconductor Initiative, a program supported by the US $280 billion CHIPS Act.

As a result, Mexico appears destined to become a significant player in the global semiconductor industry, which is currently dominated by Asian countries such as Taiwan, South Korea and China.

One person keeping a close eye on the developments — and involved in high-level discussions on plans for an integrated North American semiconductor ecosystem — is Pedro Casas Alatriste, executive vice president and CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce of Mexico (AmCham).

Mexico News Daily caught up with Casas while he was in San Francisco earlier this month to attend SEMICON West, North America’s premier microelectronics event.

What can you tell us about SEMICON West?

“SEMICON West is the biggest semiconductor investment fair in the world,” Casas said, explaining that 600 exhibitors from around the world were in attendance along with “more than 30,000 participants.”

“… Surprisingly enough there wasn’t any Mexican delegation coming here so we decided to take the lead and organize [one]” he said.

Casas told MND that AmCham put together a Mexican delegation of around 20 businesspeople and government officials from the states of Nuevo León, Chihuahua, Sonora, Jalisco, Baja California and Mexico City.

In a presentation, the delegates presented Mexico as a semiconductor investment destination and promoted “the qualities of the country … [in order to] incorporate ourselves much more in the semiconductor supply chain in North America,” said Casas.

The U.S. and Mexico announced a semiconductor partnership in March. What has happened since then? 

“A lot of very interesting things” are happening, Casas told MND.

AmCham, he said, has already participated in two Mexico-U.S. semiconductor forums this year, one in Guadalajara and the other in Tijuana. The chamber, which aims to facilitate economic integration between Mexico and the U.S., will attend a third bilateral forum in Ciudad Juárez in October, Casas said.

U.S. and Mexican government officials, representatives of semiconductor companies and academics were among the attendees at the two previous forums, he explained.

In June, Pedro Casas was part of the inaugural Mexican delegation at SEMICON West in San Francisco.
(Anne Nygard/Unsplash)

At the Tijuana forum in mid-June, AmCham, the National Chamber of Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Technology and others presented to U.S. authorities “a master plan to make semiconductors a reality in Mexico,” he said.

“[We told them] here are our plans for labor and human capital, for training; here’s what we’re going to do to coordinate the participation of the private sector with academia … these are the areas of opportunity to invest… [and] this is how long it’s going to take for us to be a key player … in [semiconductor] designing,” Casas said.

Where do you think the North American semiconductor industry will be in five years?

“From what I’m seeing here at SEMICON and what I’m seeing in Mexico, I truly think we’re going to see an accelerated change in the region … because everything is now aligned,” Casas said.

Casas at a recent meeting with the World Bank and members of the United States Congress.
Casas (center-right) at a recent meeting with the World Bank and members of the United States Congress. (@PedroCasas/X)

“We have the political will, we have the economic opportunity, we have the incentives and we also have the pressing need [to act], not only economically but also in terms of national security and … [to reduce] dependence on a small number of players,” he said, referring to North America’s reliance on Asian semiconductor manufacturers.

“So everything is aligned to make this change fast. Basically what I see in five years is a very well-integrated supply chain with a clear vision toward the future,” Casas said.

In the not-too-distant future, Casas predicts there will be newspaper headlines highlighting “the North American success in semiconductors.”

You appear confident that Mexico has the capacity to support a much larger semiconductor sector. Is that the case? 

“We’re right on the verge of not being capable of making the most out of this, but definitely we can,” Casas said.

“If we don’t do anything we won’t have the capacity. … Nonetheless, I do see ourselves making the right decisions, and hopefully with the new [Mexican] administration we can see an important change in terms of how we can better invest in the energy sector, water, security, rule of law and talent,” he said.

” … This is a historic opportunity for many reasons, and I see for the first time a clear alignment,” Casas said.

“… This is something that has bipartisan support, this is something that has regional support. From any angle you look at it, there is no reason to doubt that there is going to be an integrated North American supply chain” for semiconductors, he added.

The production of semiconductors requires a lot of water. Are you concerned about the establishment of semiconductor plants in Mexico when there is a shortage of water in some parts of the country? 

Casas pointed out that the agricultural sector is the largest water user in Mexico by far, so “if we invest there, that’s where we’re going to see a huge change in water availability in our country.”

“The recipe is quite clear — we need to invest in technology so that we do not waste tonnes of water [in the agriculture sector],” he said.

Industry, which uses around 10% of available water in Mexico, “has very robust and sustainable [production] processes,” Casas said.

“… Technology is advancing at a very fast pace so I’m not worried” about the establishment of new semiconductor facilities in Mexico, he said.

By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies ([email protected])

* Mexico News Daily interviewed Pedro Casas earlier this year to introduce him to our readers.

Read Casas’s MND column on “four key opportunities for the North American economy” —including semiconductors — here.

New US initiative could ‘turbocharge’ Mexico’s semiconductor industry

By
MND Staff
-
0
Ministerial meeting of the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity, with member country representatives seated at banquet tables in a foermal room at the US White House.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the Western Hemisphere Semiconductor Initiative at a meeting for foreign ministers of the member countries of the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity, which took place at the White House on Wednesday. (US government)

Mexico already has a semiconductor partnership with the United States, and the country is now part of a regional semiconductor industry initiative that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says will “turbocharge” its capacity to assemble, test and package the critical electronic components.

In his opening remarks at a meeting in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday attended by officials from the 12 member countries forming the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity, Blinken announced the creation of the Western Hemisphere Semiconductor Initiative.

Antony Blinken standing in a horizontal line with foreign ministers of member countries of the Americas Partnership For Economic Prosperity. Blinken is at the center of the line with his palms outstretched
U.S. Secretary of State Blinken, sixth from left, told the foreign ministers that the U.S. wants to “turbocharge” member countries’ capacity to assemble, test and package semiconductors. The initiative would start with Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica. Foreign Affairs Minister Alicia Barcena, third from right, attended for Mexico. (US government)

“Thanks to funding from the bipartisan CHIPS Act, this initiative will turbocharge countries’ capacity to assemble, to test, and to package semiconductors, beginning with Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica,” he said.

Blinken also said that the United States will hold a semiconductors symposium in Mexico in September “to identify ways that the region can play a larger role in the global supply chain for this critical technology.”

Semiconductors: A key component in electronic devices

Asian countries such as Taiwan, South Korea and China are the main manufacturers of semiconductors, essential components in smartphones, computers, drones, electric vehicles and medical devices.

The United States wants to reduce its reliance on semiconductors from Asia by investing heavily in its own semiconductor industry. Its plan is to assist other countries in the region in increasing their capacity in the sector.

The U.S. Department of State announced in March that it would partner with the Mexican government to “explore opportunities to grow and diversify the global semiconductor ecosystem” under the five-year US $500 million International Technology Security and Innovation (ITSI) fund, part of the CHIPS Act of 2022.

The Western Hemisphere Semiconductor Initiative 

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) released a statement on the regional initiative.

In Blinken’s speech to Americas Partnership members, excerpted here, he emphasized the benefits of the member nations working as a unit.

“Today, to bolster semiconductor production capabilities across the Western Hemisphere, the U.S. Department of State, in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), has unveiled the CHIPS ITSI Western Hemisphere Semiconductor Initiative,” the DOS said.

The department described the initiative as “groundbreaking” and noted, as Blinken did, that it will enhance “semiconductor assembly, testing, and packaging (ATP) capabilities in key partner countries, beginning with Mexico, Panama, and Costa Rica.”

The DOS said that the IDB “will support public-private partnerships and implementation of OECD recommendations tailored to enhance the semiconductor ecosystems in targeted countries.”

It said that the initiative will commence in 2024 and run through 2026.

“This initiative will strengthen regional capabilities and set a precedent for inclusive economic growth and global technological advancement,” the DOS said.

Reaction to the initiative 

“Mexico will be king of semiconductors,” asserted a headline in a Publimetro article that struck an optimistic tone about the new regional initiative.

Writing in the El Financiero newspaper, columnist Jeanette Leyva Reus was also optimistic about the announcement, asserting that “there is every appearance” that a “new stage” in the construction of semiconductor plants is coming.

Mexico will receive semiconductor sector investment without even asking for it, she wrote.

Gabriela Siller, director of economic analysis at Mexico’s Banco Base, said on X that if the new semiconductor initiative comes to fruition, “it will bring a lot of foreign investment to Mexico.”

“Of course, electricity, water and highway infrastructure needs to be improved,” she added.

Mexico's former Economy Minster Tatiana Clouthier holding a microphone at a meeting with US company Intel in Mexico City in 2022.
Mexico has been interested in developing its role as a semiconductor partner since before the creation of the Americas Partnership. In April 2022, then Economy Minister Tatiana Clouthier signed an accord with US tech company Intel committing to knowledge and innovation transfer and training of Mexican talent in the semiconductor industry. (Moisés Pablo Nava/Cuartoscuro)

China experts weigh in

Paul Triolo, partner for China and technology policy lead at global business strategy firm Albright Stonebridge Group, was far less upbeat about the potential benefits the initiative will bring to Mexico and other Western Hemisphere countries.

The South China Morning Post, which spoke to the Washington D.C.-based executive, reported that Triolo “was skeptical about how easy it would be to implement the plans announced by US officials.”

He told the Hong Kong-based newspaper that the Western Hemisphere Semiconductor Initiative would likely focus on the packaging and testing of semiconductors, but not on front-end manufacturing — i.e. the creation and processing of the semiconductor wafer.

“No major … firms are likely to want to establish a presence in these countries,” Triolo said in reference to Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica.

Even in the United States, “major front-end manufacturing firms that have received funding under the CHIPS Act are struggling to build advanced … facilities,” he told The South China Morning Post, explaining that the main impediment is the shortage of skilled workers to build and operate the plants.

Triolo said that even building a significant semiconductor packaging ecosystem in Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica could be “very challenging given the scale of investment required, unclear sources of trained personnel and [doubts about] the long-term ability of the U.S. to support such an effort.”

US Secretary of State posing for a photo with Costa Rica's Foreign Minister Arnoldo Andre in a White House conference room
Blinken with Costa Rica Foreign Minister Arnoldo André at Wednesday’s meeting. In 2023, Intel committed to building the company’s only semiconductor chip assembly and testing facility in the West. However, China and technology policy expert Paul Triolo said that no major tech firms were likely to invest in semiconductor manufacturing facilities in Mexico, Costa Rica or Panama due to a lack of skilled workers in those countries. (Government of Costa Rica)

China’s state-owned newspaper reacts

The Global Times, a state-owned Chinese newspaper considered a Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece, also weighed in on the Western Hemisphere Semiconductor Initiative. Its report said the program “may be just ‘lip service’ from the U.S.”

“The Western Hemisphere Semiconductor Initiative comes as Washington tries to reignite the flame of semiconductor manufacturing in the U.S. The government is flexing all policy muscles to boost domestic semiconductor manufacturing by suppressing its competitors. So, it is almost impossible for the U.S. to give full support to other countries’ efforts in advancing semiconductor manufacturing,” the report said.

“… Although the U.S. may bring Latin American countries some small-scale investment in back-end semiconductor manufacturing, we don’t think it will be very helpful in boosting the development of manufacturing in Latin American countries,” The Global Times said.

Launched by United States President Joe Biden in 2022, the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity — from which the new semiconductor initiative stems — is seen as a U.S. effort to counter growing Chinese influence in Latin America. It includes the United States, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Barbados, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Panama, Peru and Uruguay.

Upcoming semiconductors symposium in Mexico

The opportunities arising from the Western Hemisphere Semiconductor Initiative and Mexico’s bilateral semiconductor partnership with the United States are on the agenda for the Americas Partnership Semiconductor Symposium, which will be hosted by the U.S. Department of State and Mexico’s Economy Ministry in Mexico City on Sept. 5 and 6.

The challenges that must be overcome to ensure success will also be on the agenda.

US president Joe Biden standing at a podium in front of a blue backdrop that says "9th Summit of the Americas Los Angeles 2022"
The Americas Partnership was first announced by U.S. President Joe Biden at the Summit of the Americas in June 2022. (Erin Scott/White House)

The DOS said in a statement that the symposium “will focus on expanding and diversifying the semiconductor assembly, testing, and packaging (ATP) ecosystem in Americas Partnership countries.”

“A secure semiconductor supply chain ecosystem in the Western Hemisphere is critical to the Biden Administration’s goals, including the successful implementation of the CHIPS Act,” the department added.

It said that the symposium will “bring together industry, particularly small and medium-sized suppliers, governments, academia, and labor to identify key challenges, explore emerging opportunities, and develop strategies for sustainable growth and collaboration in this critical industry.”

“These efforts will work towards achieving one of the Americas Partnership’s priority goals of bolstering the semiconductor industry and capacity in the Western Hemisphere,” the DOS said.

Mexico News Daily 

Claudia Sheinbaum names ministers of culture, tourism and labor

By
MND Staff
-
0
Claudia Sheinbuam stands with her new cabinet appointees on a stage with the words "Claudia Sheinbaum, Presidenta."
The newest names in Sheinbaum's cabinet are Marath Bolaños López leading the Labor Ministry, Josefina Rodríguez Zamora as Tourism Minister and Claudia Curiel de Icaza as Minister of Culture. (Claudia Sheinbaum/X)

President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum announced three more appointments to her cabinet on Thursday, introducing the heads of the labor, culture and tourism ministries.

The cabinet appointments of “three brilliant young people” — as Sheinbaum referred to them in a social media post on X — are part of her preparation to take office as Mexico’s first female president on Oct. 1, following her June 2 victory as the candidate for the Morena Party.

Sheinbaum, who has been gradually unveiling her cabinet picks, stated that only the ministers of Defense and the Navy remain to be announced. Those are expected to be made in September.

The newest appointees are Marath Bolaños López, 40, as Labor and Social Welfare Minister; Claudia Curiel de Icaza, 44, as Culture Minister; and Josefina Rodríguez Zamora, 34, as Tourism Minister.

Here are brief looks at the backgrounds of each of them:

Marath Bolaños López

Marath Bolaños, Sheinbaum's newly named Labor Minister
Current Labor Minister Marath Bolaños López will continue in his current role. (Marath Bolaños/Twitter)

A former private secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and a deputy for the Morena caucus in Congress, Bolaños will continue as the Labor and Social Welfare Minister, a position he has held since last June 2023.

A significant figure in the current administration’s labor reforms, he has been praised for his role in enhancing labor rights, increasing the minimum wage, reforming pensions and regulating outsourcing.

Bolaños, who also teaches at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), expressed gratitude for the opportunity to continue his work.

“The Labor Ministry has a lot to contribute to continue benefiting workers,” he stated. “We know the way, we have the compass well set and we know where to go because for the good of all, the poor come first.”

Claudia Curiel de Icaza

Curiel de Icaza, who has nearly 20 years of experience in cultural promotion and management, will take over as the Culture Minister, a position she also held in the Mexico City government when Sheinbaum was mayor from December 2018 to June 2023.

She holds a degree in history from UNAM and is a specialist in arts education.

Claudia Curiel de Icaza, future Culture Minister, speaks at a podium.
Claudia Curiel de Icaza will lead Sheinbaum’s Culture Ministry. (Claudia Curiel de Icaza/Instagram)

In the capital, she was instrumental in implementing community culture projects.

“Culture is a tool for transformation and offers us a vision of the future,” she said in talking about her new role. “We will be plural, inclusive and collective.”

Josefina Rodríguez Zamora

The next Tourism Minister served in the same role in the state of Tlaxcala, where she created the campaign “Tlaxcala, Sí Existe” (Tlaxcala, yes it exists). The campaign plays on a popular meme that the diminutive state is a myth to promote Tlaxcalas’s attractions, culture and tourism opportunities.

Rodríguez has a business administration degree from the Ibero-American University of Puebla and a master’s in senior management from the University of the Valley of Tlaxcala. At 34, she is the youngest of Sheinbaum’s cabinet appointees.

In her new role, she said she wants to develop tourism that benefits Mexico’s Indigenous communities and young people.

A portrait of Josefina Rodrìguez Zamora.
Josefina Rodrìguez Zamora, the youngest of the cabinet appointees, will lead the Ministry of Tourism. (Josefina Rodríguez Zamora/Facebook)

“Tourism is the leading employer sector for young people and the second largest for women,” she said. “We will continue with the regional development of our destinations.”

Sheinbaum’s cabinet appointees so far

Based on the appointments made to date, Sheinbaum’s cabinet — made up of 10 women and 10 men — is as follows:

Chief of Staff: Lázaro Cárdenas Batel

Interior Minister: Rosa Icela Rodríguez

Security Minister: Omar García Harfuch

Education Minister: Mario Delgado

Welfare Minister: Ariadna Montiel Reyes

Economy Minister: Marcelo Ebrard

Environment and Natural Resources Minister: Alicia Bárcena

Finance Minister: Rogelio Ramírez de la O

Minister for Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation: Rosaura Ruiz

Foreign Affairs Minister: Juan Ramón de la Fuente

Legal Counsel to the President: Ernestina Godoy

Agriculture and Rural Development Minister: Julio Berdegué

Energy Minister: Luz Elena González Escobar

Health Minister: David Kershenobich Stalnikowitz

Public Administration Minister: Raquel Buenrostro Sánchez

Infrastructure, Communications and Transport Minister: Jesús Antonio Esteva Medina

Agrarian, Land and Urban Development Minister: Edna Elena Vega Rangel

Labor and Social Welfare Minister: Marath Bolaños López

Culture Minister: Claudia Curiel de Icaza

Tourism Minister: Josefina Rodríguez Zamora

With reports from Sin Embargo, El Economista and El Financiero

Get your jalapeños popping with this cheese stuffed recipe

By
Stephen Randall
-
1
Jalapeños poppers recipe
Cheese: Check. Bacon: Check. Jalapeño spice: Check. Deliciousness: Double check. (Over the Fire Cooking)

The idea of stuffing peppers has been a part of Mexican cuisine as far back as 6,000 years and dishes like chiles rellenos — larger peppers stuffed with cheese or meat, battered and fried — have been traditional in Mexico for at least centuries. Today, let’s talk about an incredible recipe for the greatest fusion food of all: Jalapeño poppers. 

The Tex-Mex love child, jalapeño poppers are believed to have originated in the United States, specifically in the Southwest, where Tex-Mex food and culture are at their peak. The concept of stuffing jalapeños with cheese and other fillings is influenced by Mexican cuisine, but the modern jalapeño popper — particularly the version often served in American restaurants and bars — is a product of Tex-Mex fusion.

Jalapeños
Jalapeños are the most iconic of all hot peppers – but they can be taken to the next level with some cheese and bacon. (Thembi Johnson/Unsplash)

The exact origin of this spicy masterpiece is somewhat unclear, but they gained popularity in the late 20th century. The combination of jalapeños with creamy cheese and the option to wrap them in bacon or coat them in breadcrumbs for frying made them a popular appetizer in American cuisine. Today I’d like to share my favorite bacon wrapped version, using plenty of  local Mexican ingredients.

Mexican-style jalapeño poppers with Oaxaca cheese recipe

Ingredients:

12 fresh jalapeño peppers

8 oz Oaxaca cheese, shredded or crumbled

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup crumbled cotija cheese

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp ground cumin

2-3 chipotles, diced

1/2 tsp chili powder

Salt and pepper to taste

12 slices of bacon, cut in half

Lime wedges for serving

Instructions

  1. Cut each jalapeño pepper in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and membranes. If you prefer milder poppers, ensure you remove all the seeds. You can also use mini sweet peppers instead of jalapeños. Use gloves when handling jalapeños to avoid irritation from the capsaicin.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix together the Oaxaca cheese, cream cheese, cotija cheese, chopped green onions, cilantro, garlic powder, ground cumin, chipotles, chili powder, salt and pepper until well combined. For extra Mexican flavor, add a splash of hot sauce to the filling.
  3. Using a spoon, fill each jalapeño half with the cheese mixture, packing it in slightly so it doesn’t spill out during grilling or baking.
  4.  Wrap each filled jalapeño half with a half slice of bacon. Secure the bacon with a toothpick to keep it in place.

Grilling Option

Jalapeños poppers
These delicious poppers can be grilled or baked, according to taste. (Arteflame)

Preheat your grill to medium-high heat, about 375-400 F or 190-200 C. Place the jalapeño poppers on the grill, cheese side up. Grill for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally, until the bacon is crispy and the jalapeños are tender.

Remove the poppers from the grill and let them cool slightly. Squeeze fresh lime juice over the poppers before serving. 

Baking Option


1. Preheat your oven to 400 F or 200 C.

2. Place the jalapeño poppers on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking rack.

3. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the bacon is crispy and the jalapeños are tender.

4. Remove the poppers from the oven and let the spicy babies chill out a bit. Squeeze fresh lime juice over the poppers before serving. Enjoy them warm as an appetizer, put them on a burger or wrap them up in a burrito: the options are almost endless.

Enjoy your Mexican-style jalapeño poppers and let me know what you think of this recipe!

Stephen Randall has lived in Mexico since 2018 by way of Kentucky, and before that, Germany. He’s an enthusiastic amateur chef who takes inspiration from many different cuisines, with favorites including Mexican and Mediterranean.

Torrential rains cause flooding in Mexico City, Puebla and México state

By
MND Staff
-
1
Man with red umbrella crosses street in the Mexico City historic center amid heavy rains.
Downpours were the norm yesterday in Mexico City's historic center. Thirteen of 16 boroughs in the nation's capital were on alert for flooding. (Edgar Negrete Lira/Cuartoscuro)

Heavy rains on Wednesday wreaked havoc across parts of central Mexico, flooding streets in Puebla and México state, delaying operations at the Mexico City International Airport (AICM) and causing rush-hour chaos in the nation’s capital on Thursday morning.

Thirteen of Mexico City’s 16 boroughs were on alert as a result of the torrential downpour, but the soggy metropolis won’t have much time to dry out as more rainstorms are in the forecast. The city’s civil protection agency issued a weather advisory telling the public to expect warm, cloudy weather and lightning storms in the evening on Thursday, as part of Tropical Wave No. 11. 

Heavy rains are predicted throughout most of Mexico for Thursday, Friday and Saturday, as this animated rain accumulation predictive map shows. (Meteored/X)

The rain affected operations at the AICM, causing delays to departing flights after access roads — including Boulevard Aereo Puerto and the Circuito Interior — were flooded. The deep water left commuters stranded for more than three hours, according to the newspaper El Universal.

Airport traffic control focused on facilitating arrivals over departures as the weather worsened, until Runway 5 was deemed too unsafe to use. When the rain and wind reduced visibility to a dangerous level, at least six flights were diverted to nearby airfields.

Wednesday afternoon’s storms also flooded streets in the city of Puebla and the eastern regions of México state.

Puebla was particularly hard-hit as high winds knocked down trees, one of which crushed an automobile. No injuries were reported, but flooding in the northern part of the city caused damage at the Plaza Comercial San Pedro.

In downtown Puebla, another shopping plaza, La Herencia 811, was inundated. The city was still surveying the damage late into the night and several roads were still underwater on Thursday morning, according to digital news outlet Infobae.

Commuters were stranded in eastern México state when long stretches of the Mexico City-Puebla highway were flooded, shutting down traffic completely. The Mexico City-Texcoco highway was also affected, with traffic slowing to a crawl in several sections.

Downed tree due to torrential rains in front of blocked car in Puebla City, Mexico. Policeman in rain gear looks on.
The torrential rains wreaked havoc in the city of Puebla Wednesday, where flooding and downed trees kept emergency personnel busy through the night. (Social media)

Public transport was impacted as several stations east of the capital were inaccessible on Wednesday. Line 4 of the capital’s Metro system was shut down briefly after a tree fell across the tracks.

On the positive side, the hydraulic system that supplies water to Mexico City received an influx of much-needed rain. As of July 15, the three main dams that feed the Cutzamala system had risen by 1.3% in one week, according to the National Water Commission (Conagua).

The dams had been dangerously low before the rainy season arrived and were still only at 29.1% of capacity on July 15, reported the newspaper Milenio.

With reports from El Universal, El Financiero, El Sol de Toluca, Infobae and Milenio

Guadalajara airport to finally inaugurate second runway

By
MND Staff
-
3
The entrance of Guadalajara International Airport (GDL), with cars pulling up to drop passengers off.
Guadalajara's long-planned second runway will be inaugurated next week. (Visita Guadalajara)

It’s been a long time coming, but the Guadalajara International Airport (GDL) will finally become Mexico’s fourth airport to feature at least two runways.

The Transportation Ministry fully certified the new runway earlier this month and airport operator Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP) announced its inauguration will take place on July 23.

The second runway is the centerpiece of a five-year, $16 billion-peso (US $889 million) renovation project undertaken by the state government and GAP to convert the Guadalajara airport into western Mexico’s main air travel hub.

According to newspaper El Economista, the Jalisco state government spent $15 billion pesos (US $837 million) to build the runway, while the remaining investment went toward constructing a new terminal and modernizing the airport infrastructure.

The new runway is 3.5 kilometers long and is a distance of 275 meters away from the other runway, giving the airport the capacity to manage 60 operations per hour, duplicating the number of flights currently operating and further consolidating GDL as a world-class airport.

“The second runway will increase opportunities for growth and boost economic development in the state,” said Xavier Orendaín, Jalisco’s top economic official. “The airport has already announced four new routes and a few more will be announced before the end of the year.”

Construction equipment works in a barren field to build a runway for Guadalajara airport.
The runway is part of a $15-billion-peso plan to expand and upgrade airport facilities. (Fernando Carranza García/Cuartoscuro)

Orendáin said GAP recently submitted a master plan with recommendations for routing traffic within the vicinity of the airport as well as industrial and logistical developments. This is a necessity since the additional runway will increase cargo flights in and out of Guadalajara, the state capital.

State transportation authorities are also working on new highway plans and loop roads to streamline airport traffic around Guadalajara. Orendaín added that city officials are preparing an executive plan to add a light train route to the airport.

Runway inauguration is culmination of 50 years of negotiations

Airport authorities had long sought to expand its operations, but for years residents of the adjacent El Zapote ejido thwarted their efforts.

The conflict over the land rights date back into the 1970s. It was finally resolved in February 2023 when the Federal Civil Aviation Agency helped negotiate an agreement. GDL acquired 116 hectares of land for an undisclosed amount of money and rezoned the property, allowing the airport to push forward with its expansion project.

In addition to the second runway and the new terminal, airport director Martín Zazueta said the new property will facilitate GDL’s expansion plans, with investments lined up for the next five years. Ongoing construction projects include a new general aviation area which will lead to the construction of a second terminal.

With reports from Milenio and El Economista

Gulf Cartel leader ‘El Escorpión 17’ and others arrested in Tamaulipas

By
MND Staff
-
0
Members of the National Guard on patrol
Authorities say the arrest of the alleged Gulf Cartel leader "El Escorpión 17" and other operatives will "weaken" the criminal organization. (Cuartoscuro)

An alleged Gulf Cartel leader and at least three other alleged members of the same criminal organization were arrested in Tamaulipas this week.

The National Guard (GN) said Wednesday that members of a special forces unit, “in coordination with the Federal Attorney General’s Office,” arrested Antonio Guadalupe Pérez Domínguez in the municipality of Ciudad Madero on Tuesday.

National Guard members stand with three suspects in front of a plane
Three of the other suspects arrested on Wednesday were alleged to be members of the “Los Ciclones” faction of the Gulf Cartel. (Sedena)

Pérez, known as “El Escorpión 17”, is the alleged leader of “The Scorpions” (Los Escorpiones), the armed wing of the notoriously violent Gulf Cartel.

The faction was linked to the kidnapping of four U.S. citizens in the border city of Matamoros in March 2023. Two of the victims were killed.

The GN said that Pérez was located in the Playa Miramar area of Ciudad Madero and transferred to the maximum-security Altiplano federal prison in Almoloya de Juárez, México state, after his arrest.

The security force said that the arrest will help “weaken a criminal organization with a presence in the state of Tamaulipas, limiting its financial activities, its trafficking of undocumented people and drugs to the United States and its illegal introduction of firearms to national territory.”

Weapons and ammunition confiscated by the National Guard
The security forces also seized weapons, ammunition and tactical gear during raids following the arrest of the alleged cartel leader. (Sedena)

The GN said that as a result of the arrest of Pérez, raids were carried out at four properties in Matamoros and four people were detained. It also said that firearms, ammunition and tactical gear were seized at the properties.

At least three of the four people detained in Matamoros were members of “The Cyclones” (Los Ciclones) faction of the Gulf Cartel, according to a Milenio newspaper report.

Citing information it received from the Ministry of National Defense, Milenio said that “three operators” of the Cyclones faction were detained on Wednesday morning in Matamoros, located opposite Brownsville, Texas.

It identified those detained as Daniel Isidoro, Leonardo Daniel and Perla Guadalupe.

A man wearing an adidas hoodie and a screenshot of police cars outside a store
José Alberto García Vilano, also known as “La Kena,” was arrested in a department store in an upscale neighborhood of the Monterrey metropolitan area. (X)

Daniel Isidoro, known as “El Dany,” is the second most important man in the “criminal structure” of the Cyclones, Milenio said. José Alberto García Vilano, the faction’s presumed leader, was detained in Nuevo León in January.

Leonardo Daniel, known as “El Pepino” (The Cucumber), is the chief of the Cyclones’ communications network, Milenio said. Perla Guadalupe, known as “La Cuñada” (The Sister-in-Law), is the faction’s “main financial operator” in Matamoros, Milenio said.

The three alleged members of the Cyclones were also transferred to the Altiplano federal prison, the penitentiary from which Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán escaped via a tunnel in 2015. They face a range of organized crime charges including drug trafficking, weapons possession and extortion.

According to Insight Crime, the Gulf Cartel is “one of the oldest and most powerful of Mexico’s criminal groups but has lost territory and influence in recent years to its rivals, including its former enforcer wing, the Zetas.”

“… The group has split into many different factions, each vying for control over Tamaulipas’ extensive borderlands,” says the think tank and media organization.

With reports from Milenio and EFE 

1...279280281...1,917Page 280 of 1,917

Mexico's English-language newspaper

About Us

ADVERTISE WITH MND

SUBMISSIONS

COMMUNITY GUIDELINES

Subscription FAQ's

Jobs

Contact

Privacy Policy

Mexico News Daily - Property of Tavana LLC