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Riding high horses: Passionate activism in Mexico

By
Sarah DeVries
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6
Father Ted Crilly
It might be very immoral. But also, it might be a lack of nuance. Sarah DeVries explores society's complex relationship with our history. (Channel 4)

Here’s a lesson I’m trying to instill in my daughter: don’t take yourself (or anything) too seriously. 

How successful have I been? Honestly, not very; she’s a serious, sensitive kid. Think of a Mexican Wednesday Addams, but one that smiles and plays occasionally. She’s also super cool and smart in ways that I will never be, and I know that some of the things that drive me a little nuts now will serve her well when she’s grown.

Wednesday Addams in pink and a facemask, that is. (Sarah DeVries)

As for me, super intense people downright repel me. It’s okay to be passionate about things, but also, freaking relax. Everyone just seems so worked up lately, you know?

Norm MacDonald in his last show, Nothing Special, summed up all this newly intense energy well. To paraphrase: When I was young, people had, maybe, six opinions. And most of them were about food!

What they did to us

Back to my daughter. She’s at an age now (10) where she’s starting to decide, firmly, what she thinks is good and bad. When you’re a kid and don’t have a lot of experience in the world, it’s easy to be an absolutist. “This is good, and this is bad.”

Really, though, nuance seems to be in short supply in general, even for those far older than 10.

We found ourselves facing exactly this situation last week when, on our way home from Veracruz, we decided to stop in La Antigua.

Ironic. Cortés could conquer Mexico, but now his empire has been conquered by these trees. (La Antigua/Government of Mexico)

La Antigua is tiny little town on a river which happens to be home to one of the first “Casas de Cortés.” Its structure has been preserved, but as happens in many places in Veracruz, the trees have taken over. “This is ours now.”

It’s just as well. Who loves Cortés?

Not my kid, that’s who. She spent most of the time walking around the ruins talking about how terrible the conquest had been. Yes, I said. It was bad. But also, it wasn’t quite as simple as you’re imagining, and certainly not a battle between “all good” and “all evil.”

What do Mexicans think of Cortés?

She seemed to consider my boring lecture about how things went down for a few minutes. But then she launched into how she didn’t like Spaniards because of “what they did to us.”

Now, just hold it right there.

Humans are humans everywhere, and who happens to be the more powerful ones in any given point in history isn’t even all that important. It’s not who the powerful are as people; it’s the fact of being powerful. Being powerful makes humans feel and act a certain way.

Was it Cortés’ Spanishness that led him to conquer Mexico, or a lust for power – and should the Spanish of today be held responsible for it? (Gaceta UNAM)

Given our vast cultural differences, you’d think we’d all treat power vastly, vastly differently. But as anyone who’s studied history knows, that’s not the case. Our entitled behavior when we’ve got a leg up on others is embarrassingly universal.

Besides, modern-day Spaniards, goofy accents aside, are perfectly nice people. The only Mexican thing they want to conquer these days are the hearts of cute Mexicans.

Meaningless activism

This “We hate the Spaniards because of what they did to us,” of course, did not originate with my daughter. It’s a sentiment I hear quite a bit, and one I have little patience for. Admittedly, it draws out my defensiveness too, because I know that we gringos aren’t far behind in line for the chopping block.

And I do not want my daughter thinking that it’s cool to disown half of who she is. She was upset the day her friend from school had said a nuclear bomb should be dropped on the United States. I will not let her get close to agreeing with that statement.

Monuments to Spanish hegemony are frequent targets for activists across Mexico. (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)

How easy “activism” is when you don’t even have to do anything other than act mad! When I hear that particular complaint, I can’t help my usual quip. “If you hate them so much, then why don’t you boycott them? Learn some indigenous languages and then stop speaking Spanish. And stop worshiping the gods they brought you.”

That, of course, would require a lot of effort, and it’s not practical. Not the language part, anyway. I think this is exactly why we should learn to acknowledge our complicated history. Sometimes, you just have to sit uncomfortably with things.

Besides, there are plenty of problems to solve right now. We can use those passionate, worked up feelings for actually fixing things rather than wasting them on some vague sense of resentment. You know, problems we’ve currently got in front of us. Solutions that will benefit us, and our kids, and (hopefully) future generations.

So I don’t care how bored and fed up she gets. She’s getting a lot of lectures on nuance and the human condition. 

Sarah DeVries is a writer and translator based in Xalapa, Veracruz. She can be reached through her website, sarahedevries.substack.com.

Catholic Church calls on Sheinbaum to build ‘national unity’

By
MND Staff
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2
Archbishop Carlos Aguilar Retes leads a mass in the Cathedral of Toluca.
The Catholic Church called on Sheinbaum to focus on reconcilation as Mexico, like many countries, faces an era of political polarization. (Crisanta Espinosa Aguilar/Cuartoscuro)

The Catholic Church in Mexico has urged President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum and other incoming politicians to prioritize the construction of national reconciliation in a recently published editorial.

The plea came on Saturday in Desde la Fe, the official publication of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mexico.

“We call on our president-elect, her working group and all elected politicians who will soon take office to promote during this period of transition the path toward building a reconciliation with solid foundations, which helps to overcome the conflicts that divide us, strengthens national unity and opens the doors to dialogue and mutual listening. We are convinced that in this way we will achieve social peace,” the editorial said.

Sheinbaum will be sworn in as Mexico’s first female president on Oct. 1, while federal lawmakers elected at the June 2 elections will assume their positions a month earlier.

The Catholic Church also invited citizens “to join this collective effort for reconciliation because the construction of a united country requires the joining of efforts.”

“In addition, the majority of reconciliation activities occur in small groups, in families, among friends, at work, and from there they grow until they strengthen into an action that can unite millions,” the editorial said.

Copies of Desde la Fe, the official magazine of the Catholic Church in Mexico
The editorial appeared in Desde la Fe, the official magazine of the Roman Catholic Church in Mexico. (Desde la Fe)

While Sheinbaum and the ruling Morena party won comprehensive victories on June 2, there is little doubt that Mexico is a politically polarized nation.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has maintained high approval ratings throughout his six-year term, but millions of Mexicans believe that he — and the president-elect — pose a threat to Mexico and its democratic institutions, in part due to the constitutional reform proposals the president submitted to Congress earlier this year and which Sheinbaum supports.

The polarization is related to inequality in Mexico, as well-known journalist Denise Maerker pointed out shortly after the election.

In its editorial, the Catholic Church sought to explain what real reconciliation would entail.

“When we talk about reconciliation we’re not referring to a fragile peace, much less a forced embrace or a commitment that only seeks to please groups that think differently. A reconciliation that has these individualistic foundations and with partial interests runs the risk of breaking quickly,” the Church said.

It also said that “the path to reconciliation is not about a fight between good or bad or “a clash of ideologies.”

“It means learning to walk together,” the Church said.

“When we talk about reconciliation we’re referring to coming to terms with events that have hurt us, that have caused suffering,” the editorial said, without offering specific details.

“… We’re talking about coming together to renew ourselves and grow together. Finding ourselves in that place where we stop thinking selfishly and individually in order to recognize ourselves as brothers, looking into each other’s eyes, embracing our histories and differences,” the Church said.

The publication of the editorial coincides with Pope Francis’ call for prayers for political leaders in August, specifically that they “be at the service of their own people, working for integral human development and for the common good, especially caring for the poor and those who have lost their jobs.”

The Catholic Church in Mexico suggested that readers of its editorial should ask God for “the gifts” required to be “builders of peace and reconciliation.”

There is considerable expectation that Sheinbaum will be less confrontational than López Obrador, who often uses his morning press conference to attack political opponents, a tactic that many say foments, or at least contributes to, divisiveness in Mexico.

In a speech last Thursday after receiving official documentation confirming her victory on June 2, the president-elect pledged to govern for all Mexicans.

In March, Sheinbaum and the two other candidates who contested the presidential election endorsed a “Commitment for Peace” document drawn up by Mexico’s Roman Catholic leadership.

However, the then Morena party candidate and now president-elect expressed disagreement with the Church leaders’ assessment of Mexico’s security situation and some of the peace-building proposals they put forth.

Mexico News Daily 

No shell game here: 200 turtles seized in Mexico City airport bust

By
MND Staff
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0
Land turtle
200 endangered sea turtles were seized by federal regulator Profepa at Mexico City International Airport. (Profepa)

Officials from the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (Profepa) conducted a seizure of 200 turtles at Mexico City International Airport (AICM) after their export paperwork was found to be incorrect.

The passenger was traveling with 193 live specimens of broken-breasted turtle (Kinosternon acutum), one dead, and six live specimens of broken-chest scorpion turtle (Kinosternon scorpioides). They were all traveling under documentation that corresponded to the white-lipped broken-breasted turtle (Kinosternon leucostomum).

The surviving turtles were sent to a federally managed facility. (Profepa)

In a press release, Profepa said it will send the specimens to a specialist wildlife unit operated by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat).

The illegal pet market is one of the main factors contributing to the extinction of species in their natural habitat.

In Mexico City metro area alone, Profepa said, between 150 and 200 exotic animals are seized every year. Mexico City Profepa chief Lucio García Gil told newspaper La Jornada that the most common species seized in the capital include exotic birds such as macaws or parrots, reptiles, primates and big cats. These are owned by wealthy families, merchants and even drug lords. 

One such example was a monkey named “Botas,” a  who belonged to notorious cartel boss Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.

Mexican law permits the ownership of exotic wildlife provided they are acquired from authorized firms and proper care is provided

In Mexico, illegal possession and trafficking of turtles can result in up to nine years in prison and fines ranging between 74,400 pesos to 744,000 pesos (US $3,981 to $39,810).

Mexico News Daily

Attack on migrants in Sonora leaves 1 minor dead, 8 injured

By
MND Staff
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0
The burned van in which the migrants were traveling before they were attacked in Sonora
Survivors of the attack sought refuge in nearby homes before their van was set on fire. (X)

An armed attack on a vehicle transporting migrants early Sunday morning left one child dead and eight adults injured in the northern border state of Sonora, according to the state’s Attorney General’s Office (FGJES).

The incident occurred near the Tubutama-Sáric highway junction around 1:15 a.m. on Aug. 18, when unknown assailants opened fire on a van carrying migrants.

The deceased minor was a boy from southern Mexico, officials said, and the wounded included Mexicans and people from Ecuador and Africa, according to the Associated Press, despite earlier reports that the victims were from Haiti.

After the attack, the surviving victims — five men and three women — sought refuge in nearby homes, fearing further violence. Later, the injured were transported to a nearby health center for treatment.

No age was given for the deceased minor.

A video of the van being hauled away shows that its windows were shattered and that it had been set on fire.

Matan a niño en ataque a migrantes en Tubutama, Sonora

“FGJES is conducting an investigation into the incident and is also carrying out a search operation in the area among the security forces in the state to find the whereabouts of the alleged perpetrators,” the government agency posted Sunday afternoon on the social media site X.

FGJES also noted it was “deploying security forces from all three levels of government,” including the National Defense Ministry (Sedena). “A coordinated operation involving ground and air support is underway.”

Local media speculated that the attack might be linked to a confrontation between rival criminal groups, potentially involving factions of the Sinaloa Cartel. However, official confirmation was pending.

As of early Monday afternoon, FGJES had not provided any updates on social media.

The incident occurred near the remote municipality of Tubutama, located in a sparsely populated region known for its rugged terrain about 50 kilometers from the U.S. border. The area is subjected to conflicts between criminal groups, largely due to its proximity to drug trafficking routes.

Last month, three migrants died and at least 14 were injured when a tractor-trailer overturned in southern Sonora.

With reports from Infobae, La Silla Rota, AP and El Universal

Tulum airport sees over half a million passengers in first 8 months

By
MND Staff
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0
Passengers in line at Tulum International Airport
More than 500,000 travelers have used the new Tulum airport, according to Quintana Roo Governor Mara Lezama. (Mara Lezama/X)

The Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport in the Caribbean resort city of Tulum has seen over half a million passengers since its opening on Dec. 1, 2023, according to Quintana Roo Governor Mara Lezama.

Speaking at President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s morning press conference on Aug. 12, Lezama said the Tulum airport saw 670,000 passengers and 5,200 flights between December 2023 and August 2024.

Quintana Roo Governor Mara Lezama
The governor spoke at President López Obrador’s morning press conference last week. (lopezobrador.org.mx)

“But what’s really impressive is the progression of that growth,” Lezama emphasized. 

In March, the month it inaugurated its first international route, the Tulum airport saw over 5,000 international passengers. The following month, the number jumped ten-fold — increasing to 53,000 — and in July, the Tulum airport received over 88,000 international passengers.  

Overall, counting national and international flights, the airport saw flight operations increase from 316 in December to 1,040 in July, or approximately 35 flights per day.  

“In just four months, the number of international passengers multiplied by 16 and the projection is fabulous,” Lezama said. She added that if the trend continues, the airport could close the year with total domestic and international passenger traffic of 1.4 million. 

Tulum airport has now become the 10th busiest in the country. (Elizabeth Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)

The increase in international passenger traffic puts Tulum airport as the 10th terminal with the most international passenger traffic among Mexican airports, representing 0.7% of the market share. It is also the second airport in Quintana Roo — behind Cancún — with the most international passenger traffic, surpassing older airports like Cozumel and Playa del Carmen.  

Currently, three domestic airlines and five international carriers operate at Tulum airport. International destinations from Tulum include Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Miami in the U.S., Montreal and Toronto in Canada, and Panama City in Panama.

Upcoming flights to Tulum airport

New routes operating from Tulum include the following:

  • Frankfurt-Tulum, starting Dec. 12 and operated by Discover Airlines.
  • Minneapolis-Tulum, starting Jan. 11, 2025, operated by Delta Air Lines.
  • Detroit-Tulum, starting Jan. 11, 2025, operated by Delta Air Lines. 

Mexico News Daily 

Federal court workers strike as Morena announces changes to judicial reform proposal

By
MND Staff
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4
Morena party leader Ignacio Mier at a podium announcing changes to Mexico's proposed judicial reform, shortly before a court workers strike.
Ignacio Mier, Morena's chief in the lower house of Congress, announced the changes at a Friday press conference. (Diputados Morena/X)

Federal court employees in Mexico went on strike Monday over President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s proposed judicial reform bill. The strike comes just after Morena, the president’s party, announced a series of modifications to the proposal on Friday.

If the judicial reform passes Congress, it will allow Mexicans to directly elect Supreme Court justices and other judges starting next year.

The ruling Morena party submitted to Congress on Friday a modified version of the constitutional reform proposal President Andrés Manuel López Obrador sent to the federal legislature in February.

Ignacio Mier, Morena’s leader in the Chamber of Deputies, told a press conference that the judicial reform proposal filed with the Constitutional Points Committee of the lower house has more than 100 changes from the original draft submitted by López Obrador.

The changes are the result of a public consultation process, held after President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum pledged that “broad consultation” would occur before the proposal is discussed by Congress.

Despite the changes, the key objective of the initiative remains — to allow citizens to elect judges. Candidates would be put forward by the sitting president, lawmakers and the judiciary itself. An equal number of men and women would have to be nominated.

Mexico's Supreme Court, the focus of AMLO's judicial reform proposal
Under the proposal, the justices of the Supreme Court and other federal judges would be elected rather than nominated. (CDMX Servicio de Medios Públicos)

Critics of the reform argue that it would jeopardize the independence of the judiciary and reduce checks and balances on executive power. López Obrador — an outspoken critic of the judiciary — denies the charges.

Mier said Friday that one modification allows for the staggered election of judges, but all 11 Supreme Court justices would be elected in 2025.

“It’s going to be gradual, it’s going to staggered. There will be an extraordinary election in 2025 [and] there will be another ordinary one at the same time as the federal [midterm] election in 2027. … The 2025 election will be to elect all justices of the Supreme Court and 50% of judges,” he said.

Mier said that various technical committees would ensure that candidates meet the legal criteria to be judges.

“This guarantees legal certainty and a justice system that guarantees the people of Mexico access to justice,” he said.

Mier said that the revised reform proposal would be made public in 10 days.

Juan Ramiro Robledo Ruiz, a Morena deputy and head of the Constitutional Points Committee, said that all current judges will be able to participate in elections.

Morena Deputy Juan Ramiro Robledo, leader of the Constitutional Points Committee, speaks about the judicial reform before the court workers strike.
Morena Deputy Juan Ramiro Robledo, leader of the Constitutional Points Committee, speaks at Friday’s press conference. (Diputados Morena/X)

“There won’t be campaigns” ahead of the elections but the candidates will have the opportunity to outline their merits at debates organized by the National Electoral Institute, he said.

As it seeks to change the constitution, the judicial reform proposal requires the support of at least two-thirds of lawmakers in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate in order to be approved.

Recently-elected lawmakers assume their positions on Sept. 1. Morena and its allies, the Labor Party and the Green Party, will have a two-thirds majority in the lower house.

However, they will be three votes short of a supermajority in the Senate. That means they will need to rely on the support of a few opposition senators to pass constitutional bills.

Still, the reform could conceivably be approved before López Obrador hands over the presidential sash to Claudia Sheinbaum on Oct. 1.

The president submitted 20 reform proposals to Congress in February, including ones aimed at disbanding a number of autonomous government agencies and incorporating the National Guard into the military.

Concern about the likely approval of the judicial reform in the wake of comprehensive victories by Sheinbaum and Morena in the June 2 presidential and congressional elections caused the Mexican peso to depreciate sharply against the US dollar.

Court workers go on strike over proposed judicial reform

Court employees across Mexico commenced strikes early Monday to protest the judicial reform proposal.

Federal judicial workers sit on the Mexico City court steps with signs protesting the judicial reform.
Federal court workers on strike Monday in Mexico City. (Moisés Pablo/Cuartoscuro)

Among the states where indefinite strikes began are Mexico City, Nuevo León, Puebla and Yucatán. Various unions representing judicial employees organized the nationwide job action.

Court workers in Mexico City who spoke with the El Universal newspaper said they are “defending Mexico from the abuse of authoritarian power.”

They said they would attend to urgent judicial cases, including ones where people’s lives were potentially at risk.

Videos posted online showed some workers placing chains around gates to courts and other judicial complexes shortly after strikes began at midnight.

The judicial unions said in a statement that the judicial reform seeks to “subjugate the federal judicial power.”

The judiciary, they asserted, is “the only counterweight” to executive and legislative power and “the guarantor of the rights of all people of Mexico, against the abuses and arbitrary actions of authorities.”

The judicial workers’ union released a statement warning that the proposed reform would “subjugate” the judicial branch, compromising its ability to act as a check on the executive and legislative branches.

The unions also said that the proposed reform poses a threat to the rights of court workers as it “seeks to eliminate the judicial career” based on “a system of merit.”

In addition, they said that judicial workers — of whom there are some 55,000 in Mexico — haven’t been given the opportunity to express their views on the reform, asserting that they were denied access to forums where it was discussed.

AMLO: Workers who continue to strike support corruption

At his morning press conference on Monday, President López Obrador said that court workers have the right to protest. He also defended his government’s judicial reform proposal.

“It doesn’t affect the workers. On the contrary, it benefits them. Let’s see if tomorrow or the day after it can be explained again,” he said, indicating that an official would outline the proposal at one of his upcoming pressers.

“… All this so the workers aren’t manipulated, so that the federal judicial workers have information. We’re not against the workers of Mexico, we’re against corruption and privileges,” said López Obrador, who has accused judges of serving the interests of the elite and described the salaries earned by some as “exaggerated and offensive.”

If workers decide to continue to strike even after they have the information to be presented by the government “they will serve as lackeys of those who are part of the corruption in the judicial power,” he said.

The Supreme Court and other courts have handed down various rulings against government projects and policies in recent years, angering the president.

López Obrador has claimed that Mexico’s judiciary is “at the service of a greedy and corrupt minority” of Mexican society as well as the country’s “conservative” political parties.

He has asserted that the nation’s judicial system needs to be overhauled, and believes that allowing citizens to elect Supreme Court justices and other judges is a key part of that process.

With reports from Bloomberg, El Universal, El Economista and Reuters 

Supporting Mexico: Panel event explores ethical giving and immigration

By
MND Staff
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1
Happy migrant children
The Misión México Foundation event will offer attendees the chance to participate in a silent auction, sip cocktails and attend an expert panel on immigration in Mexico. (Misión México)

Traveling is all about connecting with people and places in a meaningful way, and sometimes that means giving back to the communities that have welcomed us with open arms. That’s why Mexico News Daily is partnering with the Misión México Foundation (MMF) to host a cross-cultural evening with panel discussions on immigration and how to ethically give back to your new community. All proceeds will go to MMF, which works to provide Chiapas’ most vulnerable children with safe homes and high-quality education.

If you’ve ever found yourself falling in love with the warmth and culture of Mexico, you might have also felt the urge to give something in return. But figuring out how to give back ethically can be tricky — especially when you hear about donations going astray or well-meaning expats getting caught up in harmful systems.

Take Jenna Mayhew, a psychologist who made the leap from Australia to Mexico. Like many new arrivals, she was keen to make a positive impact but found navigating the world of ethical giving a bit overwhelming. After doing her homework and connecting with the Misión México Foundation (MMF), she discovered a reliable way to make a difference.

MMF panelists

Who are the Misión México Foundation?

The Misión México Foundation, based in Tapachula, Chiapas, started as a small house for orphaned children and has blossomed into a long-term care home for some of the state’s most vulnerable kids. These are children who’ve been removed from their families by the government and have no chance of returning home. MMF provides them with stable, therapeutic housing throughout their childhood and even supports them as they move into independent living.

It’s not just about providing a roof over their heads. MMF ensures the children are educated, bilingual, and given the tools to pursue their dreams — whether that’s becoming a doctor and opening a clinic in their community or working to improve their local economies as an entrepreneur or community leader.

MMF provides trauma-informed, long-term care internationally overseen by a team of experts. The foundation ensures these kids receive the compassion and support they deserve. MMF’s reach also extends beyond the children’s home, helping immigrants passing through Chiapas and supporting other vulnerable groups, like young mothers in need.

For those of us who’ve experienced the richness of life in Mexico, giving back is a way to deepen our connection to this incredible country. It’s also incredibly rewarding to know that our contributions are making a tangible impact on people’s lives.

How can you help the Misión México Foundation?

If you’re in Mexico City on Aug. 22, why not join us? The event takes place at Zuzu Restaurant in Roma Norte, starting at 7:30 p.m. Mexico News Daily CEO Travis Bembenek will join a panel to discuss the ins and outs of immigration to Mexico and how we can all meaningfully contribute to our communities.

For just 500 pesos, you’ll get a cocktail, appetizers, and the chance to be part of something special. You’ll hear from Travis, along with Mexican women’s rights advocate Karina Ojeda Valle and visual artist E.FLO. Plus, there’s a silent auction and a presentation by MMF Director Melissa Biggerstaff.

Can’t make it? You can still help out by making a one-time donation or simply spreading the word. Every bit helps, and together, we can make a difference. For more details and to snag your ticket, check out the event page.

Mexico News Daily

Mexico sets new FDI record in first 6 months of the year

By
MND Staff
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1
Cars being assembled in an Audi factory in Mexico.
The manufacturing sector received more than half of all foreign direct investment in the first half of 2024. (Audi Mexico)

In the first six months of 2024, foreign direct investment (FDI) exceeded US $31 billion, a new record for Mexico. The total represents a 7% increase over the same period in 2023, according to the federal Economy Ministry (SE).

The SE said in a report released Sunday that nearly US $30.3 billion represented reinvestment of earnings while new investments totaled $909 million. Companies also announced more than $45 billion in planned investment during the same six-month period.

A low level of new investment usually suggests that companies are not fully taking advantage of the relocation phenomenon, according to the economic research department of BBVA Mexico. However, the fact that companies already invested in Mexico continue to do so indicates their satisfaction with previous investments.

So although new investment was down US $1.2 billion year-on-year from 2023, reinvestment was up nearly US $7.7 billion. In addition, the latest figures indicate 97.4% of foreign investment profits earned from January-June 2024 remained in Mexico instead of returning to the country of origin.

Meanwhile, loans, charges and payments between Mexican companies and their international partners reflected a US $101 million loss, compared to the first half of 2023 when Mexican subsidiaries received US $4.3 billion from their international partners.

Economy Secretary Raquel Buenrostro said the United States continues to be Mexico’s principal investment partner as U.S. companies were responsible for 44%, or US $13.7 billion, of the FDI. Germany (nearly US $4.2 billion) and Japan (US $3.1 billion) were second and third, respectively.

A government graphic showing how much of the record-setting foreign direct investment came from each sector of industry.
In the first six months of 2024, more than half of the record-setting foreign direct investment came from the manufacturing sector, according to the Economy Ministry. The unlabelled numbers represent millions of US dollars invested in each sector. (Secretaría de Economía)

The beneficiaries were 2,787 sociedades mexicanas (Mexican corporations), 1,977 investment funds and 28 multi-nationals. The manufacturing sector attracted 54% of the FDI with transportation, beverage and tobacco, chemical, and tech companies leading the way.

The new record for half-year FDI was boosted by a strong second quarter after Q1 FDI had fallen by 13.6% as compared to Q1 2023. Companies in Mexico City were the prime recipients of FDI during Q2 2024, accounting for 46% of the total.

“The behavior of FDI during the second quarter of 2024 suggests sufficient liquidity to cover debts acquired in previous years and to allow for loans within corporate groups,” the SE report explained.

The SE also highlighted that for a second consecutive year, the high percentage of reinvestment clearly demonstrates Mexico’s economic stability and positive business environment as well as the country’s competitive advantages.

With reports from El Economista and La Jornada

3 close to ‘El Mayo’ found dead in Sinaloa

By
MND Staff
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Martín García was wanted in the United States, where the State Department was offering a reward of US $4 million for information leading to his arrest.
Martín García was wanted in the United States, where the State Department was offering a reward of US $4 million for information leading to his arrest. (DEA)

An accused fentanyl trafficker and alleged “close associate” of Sinaloa Cartel leaders Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García and Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera was found dead in Sinaloa on Saturday.

The body of Martín García Corrales was found near a dirt road in the municipality of Elota, which borders Culiacán to the south.

Two other bodies, including that of García's brother José Ricardo García Corrales, were found in the same location in Elota.
Two other bodies, including that of García’s brother José Ricardo García Corrales, were found in the same location in Elota. (Facebook)

His murder came three weeks after Zambada was arrested in the United States along with Joaquín Guzmán López, one of El Chapo’s sons.

García Corrales was also an alleged associate of Los Chapitos, as El Chapo’s sons are known.

Two other bodies, including that of García’s brother José Ricardo García Corrales, were found in the same location in Elota. An El Universal newspaper columnist identified the third homicide victim as Francisco Javier Machado Ceballos.

The semi-naked bodies of the three men, all of whom had been shot, reportedly had signs of torture. Their eyes were blindfolded, their mouths covered with tape and their hands tied together.

Who committed the homicides and the motive for the crime is unclear. As of Monday morning, authorities in Sinaloa hadn’t released any public statement on the murders.

Martín García was wanted in the United States, where the State Department was offering a reward of US $4 million for information leading to his arrest.

His brother is Leobardo García Corrales, who is wanted in the United States on charges of fentanyl importation and firearms offenses.

Who was Martín García Corrales?

Also known as “El Tano” and “Cachuchas,” García Corrales was born in 1980, according to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration.

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) said in April 2023 that he “supervises many aspects of trafficking fentanyl for” the Sinaloa Cartel “including security, and is a close associate of Ismael Zambada García and Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera,” who was convicted on trafficking charges in the United States in 2019.

In April 2023, a federal jury in New York returned an indictment against Martín García Corrales, Leobardo García Corrales and others charging them with fentanyl importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

The DOS said that Martín García Corrales and a co-conspirator met at a restaurant in Mazatlán in November 2022 and the former “agreed to purchase hundreds of automatic rifles and other weapons, including grenades, with payment for the weapons in the form of fentanyl to be imported and delivered in the U.S..”

“Prior to that meeting, approximately September 2022, Martin García Corrales facilitated the delivery of approximately one kilogram of fentanyl at an address in California,” the department said.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury said last September that Martín García Corrales and his brother Leobardo are “associates of the Chapitos” — who head up a powerful Sinaloa Cartel faction — and “large-scale methamphetamine and fentanyl manufacturers in Sinaloa.”

“The brothers negotiate the sale of illicit fentanyl in the United States and operate fentanyl labs in Oaxaca, Mexico,” the Treasury added.

“They use the proceeds from fentanyl sales to purchase automatic rifles, grenades and other weapons.”

El Tano reportedly had “political cover” in Sinaloa  

The newspaper Reforma reported that García Corrales “enjoyed political cover,” or protection, in Sinaloa “thanks to his family, members of the Sinaloa Party (PAS), founded by the recently murdered Héctor Melesio Cuén Ojeda,” a former mayor of Culiacán.

El Tano reportedly had protection from members of the Sinaloa Party (PAS), founded by the recently murdered politician Héctor Melesio Cuén.
El Tano reportedly had protection from members of the Sinaloa Party (PAS), founded by the recently murdered politician Héctor Melesio Cuén. (@melesiocuen/X)

The newspaper noted that his sister, Sonia Estela García Corrales, is the PAS leader in Elota, and that he is related to the party’s state president Víctor Antonio Corrales Burgueño.

Corrales Burgueño, Reforma added, is a former rector of the Autonomous University of Sinaloa (UAS) and a friend of Cuén, who was murdered the same day that El Mayo and Guzmán López were arrested in the United States after landing in a private plane at an airport near El Paso, Texas.

Zambada said in a statement that Cuén was killed at a location outside the city of Culiacán, where he claimed he was kidnapped after being lured by Guzmán López to a supposed meeting with Cuén and Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya. Zambada said he was forced onto a plane and taken to the U.S. against his will.

The Elota branch of the PAS lamented the deaths of Martín García Corrales and his brother in a post to its Facebook page.

“With profound sorrow and respect the entire team of the Executive Municipal Committee of Elota joins the García Corrales family in mourning the passing of José Ricardo García Corrales and Martín García Corrales,” the post said.

With reports from Reforma, El Financiero, Milenio and El Universal 

Ban on open-pit mining advances in Congress

By
MND Staff
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Peñasquito mine in Zacatecas, Mexico
The legislation aims to protect the environment and prevent water shortages in nearby communities. (File photo)

Legislation to ban open-pit mining in Mexico was passed out of committee last week and the Chamber of Deputies will take up the bill when Congress is back in session in September.  

The legislation aims to protect the environment and prevent water shortages in nearby communities.

Regarding the reform, AMLO has mentioned the damage caused by open-pit mining on the environment. (Andrea Murcia Monsivais/Cuartoscuro)

The measure is part of a comprehensive package of constitutional reforms submitted to Congress in February by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Congress recessed at the end of April but committees have been deliberating over the reforms, including a controversial bid to overhaul the judiciary.

In Mexico, constitutional reforms must be approved by a two-thirds vote in both the Chamber and the Senate, as well as by the majority of state congresses. López Obrador’s ruling Morena party and its allies swept to victory in the June elections. They now await a ruling from the Federal Election Tribunal later this month to see if they won qualified majorities in both houses.

Lopez Obrador has made it clear that he disapproves of the mining contracts his predecessors approved for private interests — his administration has not granted any new concessions since he took office in 2018.

In addition to the ban on open-pit mining and fracking, if approved, the reform would largely prevent the exploitation of water in areas with water scarcity.

The proposal has been met with criticism from the mining sector. 

The Mexican Mining Chamber (Camimex)  claims the reforms would cause a 1% contraction in Mexico’s GDP (a loss of roughly 250 billion pesos) and threaten some 200,000 jobs. 

This legislation “would have devastating consequences for development and economic stability,” Camimex said in a statement. “It would limit the capacity to transform the country’s natural resources into development opportunities and slow the transition to clean energy.”

Camimex says 60% of the value of Mexico’s mining sector comes from open-pit mining.

For its part, the Association of Mining Engineers, Metallurgists and Geologists (AIMMGM)  insists the ban would put Mexico’s mining sovereignty at risk and could make national industries dependent on imports. It also cautioned that such a law could prompt a recession in regions of the country that depend on mining.

With reports from Reuters, Forbes México, El Economista and Energy21

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