Service on the new Maya Train is suspended until the new year, as work continues on vital infrastructure. (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)
Operations on the Maya Train railroad have been temporarily suspended just two weeks after President López Obrador inaugurated the first sections of his signature infrastructure project.
The Maya Train announced in a statement and on social media that trains wouldn’t run on Dec. 28, 29, 30 and 31.
The Maya Train carried its first paying passengers on Dec. 16, with trips between Cancún and Campeche. (Michael Balam/Cuartocuro)
The suspension of operations was attributed to the “upcoming pre-opening” of the Cancún-Palenque stretch of the 1,554-kilometer-long railroad on Jan. 1.
That stretch comprises sections 2,3 and 4 of the railroad and has stations in or near the Yucatán cities of Mérida, Izamal and Valladolid, and the archaeological site of Chichén Itzá.
Although trains began running along those sections earlier this month, some of the 14 stations have not yet been completed.
Much of the Maya Train’s infrastructure still remains under construction. (Elizabeth Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)
People with tickets to travel on the Maya Train between Dec. 28 and 31 should write to [email protected] to seek a refund or make alternative travel arrangements, the statement said.
“On Jan. 1, 2024, we’ll resume our operations,” the Maya Train said before reiterating its “commitment to providing the best service” to passengers.
Since operations began, 10,680 passengers have “enjoyed the experience of traveling on the Maya Train,” the statement said.
The multi-billion-dollar railroad connects cities and towns in five states: Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán, Quintana Roo and Chiapas.
The entire railroad, which has a total of seven sections, is scheduled to be operational by the end of February.
López Obrador asserts that the operation of the railroad – which will eventually be used by tourist, commuter and freight trains – will spur economic development in Mexico’s historically disadvantaged southeast.
The federal government has invested heavily in the region, building a new refinery on the Tabasco coast and a new airport in Tulum, and developing a trade corridor, which includes a modernized train line, across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec to link the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico coasts.
Their bodies had been trapped underground since August 2022 when the Pinabete mine flooded. (@laoctavadigital/X)
The bodies of two of the 10 miners trapped underground when the Sabinas, Coahuila coal mine they were working in flooded in August 2022 have been located, the Coahuila Attorney General’s Office announced today.
Military personnel and specialists from the Coahuila Labor Ministry, the state’s Civil Protection body, the Federal Electricity Commission (FCE) and National Civil Protection Coordination (CNPC) worked to locate the remains just over 200 feet underground. The bodies will now be identified and delivered to their respective families.
10 miners were killed at the Pinabete mine in Coahuila last year, despite immediate rescue efforts by an international team. (Especial/Cuartoscuro)
A statement from the federal government reported that 2.3 million cubic meters of rock and soil have been extracted during nearly 12,000 hours of uninterrupted recovery efforts at the El Pinabete mine. Given the amount of material necessary to remove from the mine – including water, which has been pumped out with purpose-built pumps – recovering the remains only became possible recently. CNPC reports discussing plans to recover the bodies had been published earlier this month.
El Pinabete reportedly flooded when uncontrolled mining at the site broke into Las Conchas, an abandoned neighboring mine, itself flooded by the nearby Sabinas River. This year, the newspaper El País described El Pinabete as “a tragedy waiting to happen” that lacked “even the most basic safety conditions.”
On May 24, Luis Rafael García Luna Acuña, majority stakeholder of El Pinabete, was arrested by the Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) in Nuevo León on charges of illegal mining. In July, pre-trial judge José Luis Hernández Hernández granted García a stay and ordered his immediate release. The FGR appealed this decision, and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals revoked the stay on Dec. 15.
The El Pinabete tragedy once again drew attention to the precarious conditions faced by miners in Mexico, particularly in Coahuila, where over 60 percent of mining accidents in Mexico take place. This July, almost one year after the collapse, two miners lost their lives in an accident at a different mine in Sabinas, the same city where El Pinabete is located.
Some of the president's signature mega-projects were the targets of joke news stories this year for Día de los Inocentes. (Cuartoscuro)
As is the case every Dec. 28, Mexican newspapers attempted to trick their readers on Thursday by publishing articles containing false information – fake news if you will.
The annual tradition is the way in which some newspapers observe Día de los Inocentes, Mexico’s equivalent of April Fools’ Day.
While we’re not publishing our own “fake news story” this Día de los Inocentes (maybe next year!), we have prepared this brief roundup of noticias falsas found in Mexican newspapers.
The president shared the photo of a supposed alux (left) along with an ancient carving depicting the mythical creature earlier this year. (Andrés Manuel López Obrador/X)
On the trips there will be a “special stop at Chichén Itzá so tourists can interact with an alux in the vicinity of the jungle,” according to a concocted statement attributed to Tourism Minister Miguel Torruco.
“We hope that this Día de los Inocentes joke doesn’t become a [correct] prediction,” the article concluded.
New cat and rat-like animal discovered in Quintana Roo
La Jornada Maya reported that workers on the Maya Train and Tulum airport projects had brought to light “what the Ministry of National Defense and the National Institute of Anthropology and History were hiding all these months” – the presence of a “never before seen animal” deep in the Maya Jungle.
Could an unknown species be lurking in the jungles of Tulum? (Gob MX)
According to the article, the new species – captured on camera by the workers – “looks like a combination of a cat and a giant rodent” and was observed “tearing to shreds and eating a tepezcuintle,” a large rodent called paca in English.
“The witnesses couldn’t believe what they saw,” reported La Jornada before conceding that “this content doesn’t correspond to reality.”
Mexican-made COVID vaccine finally available
El Gran Diario de México (The Great Newspaper of Mexico), as El Universal calls itself, wasn’t content with just one fake news story, and in fact published several to mark Día de los Inocentes.
Getting a shot and taking a trip on one of the “great transport projects created by and for the people of Mexico” are both ways in which people can demonstrate their patriotism, according to a mock press release from the National Council of Humanities, Science and Technology.
Read a couple of other spoof El Universal articles here and here.
Claudia Sheinbaum to travel on luxurious plane when president
This story didn’t come from a Mexican newspaper, but from the Morena candidate herself.
“Now that I’ve been traveling through the country so much, I’ve thought that it’s important that the next president has a plane of the kind that not even [Barack] Obama had,” Sheinbaum said in a video posted to social media.
“¡Ah! Inocentes palomitas se dejaron engañar. We’re going to continue with republican austerity,” she added.
Inocente palomita is the term used for anyone fooled on Día de los Inocentes.
Sheinbaum – whose political mentor, President López Obrador, sold the luxurious presidential plane used by his predecessor – told viewers of her video that they had allowed themselves to be deceived.
The phenomenon sparked several conspiracy theories on social media on Wednesday. (Geoamantes/Facebook)
On Wednesday morning, the residents of Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas observed a peculiar event in the sky: a hole in the clouds.
The phenomenon occurred at around 9:00 a.m., when some captured an unusual cloud formation with a hole in it. The cloud appeared either oval or round, depending on the location from which it was observed, with an irregular rainbow also visible in its center.
#MNTV | #Mundo | Habitantes de #Chiapas se sorprendieron al ver una misteriosa figura en el cielo.
Se trataba una “Nube Cavum” que ocurre cuando la nube se compone de gotas de agua fría. pic.twitter.com/j50oy0cNbJ
Images of this distinct phenomenon went viral on Wednesday, giving way to all kinds of conjectures.
While some people suggested it was an extraterrestrial ship with an invisibility effect, others claimed it was a portal or an apocalyptic signal. Even Mexico’s best-known ufologist Jaime Maussan shared the videos of the strange cloud on his social media accounts, saying it could be “atmospheric” but could also be an “anomaly.”
However, as odd as the sighting was, it was none of the above. The spectacle was a rare but natural occurrence known as a cavum. According to NASA, cavum “are among the most eye-catching cloud formations spotted by sky watchers.”
Also known as hole-punch clouds, cavum are formed due to cold air temperatures and atmospheric instability. When viewed from below, they look like a small lake of blue sky surrounded by feathery clouds, and – though cavum appear to have the exact circumference of a UFO – they are often triggered by a passing aircraft.
The vaccines will cost 845 pesos (US $50) at Walmart in Mexico. (CRISANTA ESPINOSA AGUILAR /CUARTOSCURO.COM)
The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine will be available at some Walmart stores and Red Cross centers across Mexico starting Thursday, a week after it went on sale in some Mexican pharmacies.
In a statement,Walmart Mexico announced that Pfizer’s Comirnaty vaccine would be administered by trained medical personnel in more than 130 Walmart Express and Walmart Supercenter pharmacies in 19 Mexican states, at a cost of 845 pesos (US $50).
Currently, Pfizer, Abdala and Sputnik are the only Covid-19 vaccines available in Mexico. Moderna’s Spikevax vaccine has been authorized by Cofepris but has yet to be distributed to pharmacies. (Demián Sánchez/Cuartoscuro)
It will be available for people over 12 years old from Dec. 28, and for children aged 5-11 from Jan. 4. The supermarket chain urged interested customers to check availability and hours of operation on itsWalmart Pharmacy page.
The vaccine also became available at select Red Cross centers starting on Thursday in Mexico City and México state, at the lower price of 785 pesos (US $46.50). Jorge Alberto Forastieri, Red Cross representative in México state, explained that profits from initial vaccine sales would be used to deliver doses to marginalized communities.
“It’s a very small recovery fee,” he told the Ciro Gómez Leyva morning news program. “We have this recovery quota to reach vulnerable communities and be able to give [the vaccine] at a much better price.”
In the initial phase, Forastieri explained, around 100 doses per day of the vaccine will be available in Red Cross centers in Cuajimalpa and Polanco, in Mexico City, and Toluca, Naucalpan, Cuautitlán and Huixquilucan, in México state. It will be administered to both children and adults between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.
The Red Cross’ charitable vaccine program will initially focus on vulnerable communities in the mountainous regions of México state, where winter conditions and high costs are preventing many people from accessing the vaccine. The program will later roll out to other areas of the country, as the Red Cross expands its cold-chain distribution network.
“From the moment we saw this – fortunately, the vaccines immediately sold out [only] in the pharmacies – we talked to the company [Pfizer] and they guaranteed to supply us with the vaccines that are necessary,” Forastieri said. “We are going to request them as they run out, to never stop delivering them and covering society’s needs.”
Mexico’s health regulatory agency Cofeprisapproved the sale of Pfizer’s Cominarty Omicron XBB 1.5 and Moderna’s Spikevax monovalent XBB 1.5 vaccines in early December. Both are effective against the newer Omicron variant XBB 1.5 of COVID-19.
Public hospitals around Mexico offer the Russian Sputnik vaccine and Cuban Abdala vaccine free of charge – but the latter does not protect against newer strains of the virus.
This year's results were stable compared to last year, with some areas doubling their recorded turtle eggs. (Elizabeth Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)
The 2023 turtle nesting season saw over 62,000 nests on the beaches of Quintana Roo according to Itzel Trujano, of the Quintana Roo Sea Turtle Committee.
How do the numbers compare to last year?
According to the data collected by researchers, this year’s results were stable compared to last year, when Quintana Roo registered over 3,000 loggerhead nests, 37,000 green turtle nests, 1,500 hawksbill nests and three rare leatherback nests. In total, 2022 recorded over 2 million sea turtle hatchlings released on more than 45 beaches in Quintana Roo.
Four leatherback sea turtle nests were reported in Quintana Roo in 2023, an increase of one nest. (Wikimedia Commons)
Which species lay eggs in Quintana Roo?
Biologist Itandé Ruiz Ramos and engineer Roberto Herrera reported that this season registered 1,518 clutches of hawksbill eggs, more than 58,000 of green white turtle eggs and more than 3,000 of loggerhead eggs.
Following this year’s nesting season, which takes place annually between May 1 and June 16, an extraordinary event occurred at the Xcacel-Xcacelito turtle sanctuary. The leatherback sea turtle, the largest sea turtle species in the world, was spotted in the sanctuary for the first time in 36 years – and gave birth to 57 leatherback turtle babies.
The leatherback sea turtle, once a prevalent species in almost all oceans except the Arctic and Antarctic, has sharply declined in many parts of the world. Due to its dwindling numbers, it is now listed under the Endangered Species Act. In Mexico, leatherbacks have been observed in both the Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico.
How are sea turtles doing in other areas of Mexico?
Mexico is one of the most important turtle nesting sites in the world: six of the world’s seven species of sea turtles nest on Mexico’s beaches. This year, two additional turtle sanctuaries were federally declared at the beaches of La Escobilla and Chacahua in Oaxaca, bringing the total number of turtle sanctuaries in Mexico to 17 in eight coastal states.
Sea turtle conservation in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, saw a promising season this year, registering double the number of eggs recorded in 2022. Baja California’s coasts are home to five species of endangered sea turtles whose populations declined significantly towards the end of the last century. Signs of habitat recovery are expected to continue thanks to the efforts of monitoring, education and conservation programs across Mexico.
The study was conducted at an unspecified 2022 music festival near Mexico City. (Cuartoscuro)
The adulteration of drugs with fentanyl “is no longer a phenomenon confined to the northern border of Mexico,” the authors of a journal article concluded after a study detected the presence of the synthetic opioid in MDMA and cocaine carried by attendees at a musical festival near Mexico City.
Published in the Harm Reduction Journal this month, an article titled “First drug-checking study at an electronic festival and fentanyl detection in the central region of Mexico” notes that fentanyl was present in two out of four cocaine samples and in 14 of 22 MDMA samples tested at the 2022 event.
MDMA is a popular “party drug” and is increasingly adulterated with fentanyl. (DEA.gov)
Forty festival attendees, all but three of whom were men, made use of a drug-checking service and consented to their participation in the study. They handed over 51 samples of drugs for testing, including MDMA (commonly known as ecstasy), LSD, cocaine, ketamine, methamphetamine and DMT.
“Most samples contained what the users expected plus adulterants,” said the five Mexico City-based authors of the article.
“Main adulterants were methylene-dioxy-ethyl-amphetamine, methylene-dioxy-propyl-amphetamine, hydroxyamphetamine, and the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor venlafaxine. … Some of the adulterants found pose serious health risks, especially fentanyl, amphetamine-like substances, and venlafaxine,” the article said.
“Therefore, it is urgent to monitor these adulterants at electronic music festivals and to implement prevention, treatment, and harm reduction public policies.”
Tijuana has been one of the epicenters of fentanyl in Mexico to date, where paramedics are becoming accustomed to treating overdoses. (Cuartoscuro)
The article said that fentanyl and fentanyl derivatives had previously been detected “in the paraphernalia of heroin and crystal users in Tijuana,” but the synthetic opioid – which is up to 50 times stronger than heroin, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – hadn’t previously been detected in drugs in central Mexico.
The article said that the results of the drug testing at the unspecified music festival provides “evidence of fentanyl presence in a place close to Mexico City.”
“Present results show that fentanyl adulteration is no longer a phenomenon confined to the northern border of Mexico among vulnerable people who inject heroin or crystal meth, but has reached young people who use psychostimulants,” it said.
The article said that festival attendees who participated in the study “were reassured by confirming that their substance was what they were offered and bought but surprised by the presence of fentanyl and venlafaxine and uncertain of the risks associated with their consumption.”
Mexico has been under increasing pressure to reduce illegal fentanyl production and smuggling to the U.S. in recent years. (Cuaroscuro)
“… Although the young people who attended the festival had a high degree of education and some information about the effects of certain drugs, they did not have sufficient knowledge of fentanyl, and neither did they intentionally seek it out,” it said, adding that their “their high normalization and low perception of risk regarding drug use, places them in a vulnerable situation particularly in the face of fentanyl.”
Fentanyl – which criminal groups manufacture in Mexico with precursor chemicals imported from Asia – is the leading cause of overdose deaths in the United States, and many overdoses have occurred among people who were not aware that the substance they consumed contained the powerful synthetic opioid.
There is no official data on fentanyl overdoses in Mexico, where knowing use of the opioid is believed to be minimal, or at least nowhere near as common as in the United States.
President López Obrador has said that fentanyl use is low or non-existent in Mexico due to strong family values.
Most of the drugs tested at the music festival – 70% – were acquired in Mexico City, with the remaining 30% coming from states including México state, Morelos, Querétaro and Aguascalientes, the researchers said. Almost three-quarters of the participants in the study said they bought the drugs from dealers, with the remainder indicating they purchased the substances from friends or received them as gifts.
Silva Cruz, the lead author of the article, told the newspaper El País that the detection of fentanyl in MDMA and cocaine should serve as a “wake-up call.”
She also said that adulteration of drugs with fentanyl is “probably” more common today than it was “almost two years ago” when the testing at the music festival occurred.
Cruz – a pharmacologist who said in a 2022 interview that fentanyl is being sold “everywhere” in Mexico and that “the adulteration of traditional drugs” with the opioid is a “practice that is here to stay” – warned that people who take drugs such as MDMA at festivals would not be prepared if an overdose occurred due to fentanyl adulteration.
“[Musical festival attendees’] expectations aren’t of overdosing,” she said, adding that if an overdose does occur “they don’t recognize it as an opioid overdose.”
Naxolone (brand name Narcan) is widely distributed to law enforcement and others in the United States in the face of soaring synthetic opioid overdose rates. (Shutterstock)
Naxolone, an opioid antagonist, can be used to counter the effects of fentanyl, but access to the medication in Mexico “is very restricted and almost impossible to find,” El País reported.
If a fentanyl overdose occurred at a music festival, there would be “no way to help,” Cruz said, referring to the practical certainty that no naxolone would be at hand.
In Mexico, more testing of drugs is needed at music festivals or other events commonly attended by drug users, Cruz said.
As things stand, drug-checking services – which have the potential to save lives – “are scarce in Mexico,” the Harm Reduction Journal article said.
It also said that the people who agreed to have their drugs tested at the 2022 music festival near Mexico City “recommended the service, would use it again, and considered that … [testing] can prevent bad experiences and fatal outcomes.”
“… Early alert systems at festivals should exist to alert on the presence of fentanyl or other dangerous combinations …, as it occurs in other countries,” the article authors said.
“Fentanyl overdoses are life-threatening and serotonin toxicity is a medical emergency that requires specialized on-site treatment. Control of all variables in outdoor festivals can be challenging, but having access to the opioid antidote naloxone, and medical assistance to assist intoxicated people can prevent life losses,” they said.
There have been nine micro-quakes with epicenters in Mexico City this month. (UNAM/Cuartoscuro)
Mexico City experienced two micro-earthquakes in the early hours of Thursday after a month of higher-than-usual seismic activity in the capital.
According to the National Seismological Service (SSN), the first quake occurred at 3:33 a.m. in northeastern Magdalena Contreras, with a magnitude of 2.0. The second was felt at 3:49 a.m. in southern Álvaro Obregón, with a magnitude of 1.7. A brief 1.7-quake was also recorded at around the same hour on Tuesday, Dec. 26. The movements were perceptible but slight, and no damage has been reported.
Last night’s micro-quakes (marked with a green dot) originated in the same area of Mexico City where most of this year’s micro-quakes have occurred. (ssn.unam.mx)
Mexico City has experienced an unusual number of micro-earthquakes during this month. On Dec. 12, four micro-quakes were recorded in the west of the city, the strongest of which caused minor damage to buildings. Two days later,two micro-quakes of 3.2 and 2.4 magnitude hit Álvaro Obregón. The former was the strongest felt in Mexico City this year.
These minor seismic events are very common and not typically a cause for concern. The SSN has registered 81 micro-quakes in the capital this year, including a succession of small quakes in May and a 3-magnitude quake in San Antonio Tecómitl, one of the borough of Milpa Alta’s 12 towns, in July.
The increased seismic activity in Mexico City in December has sparked rumors that the quakes could be caused by human activity, such as water extraction. However, experts consider this unlikely, as these human activities are limited to a few hundred meters’ depth, whereas micro-quakes originate at a depth of 3 to 5 kilometers and large quakes start even deeper underground.
Rather, seismologist Víctor Manuel Cruz of the Institute of Geophysics of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) told the newspaper El Universal, the recent seismic activity is likely due to small ruptures in the tectonic plates below Mexico City caused by larger past events, such as the 2017 Puebla earthquake.
Although these small quakes are not considered cause for concern, residents should remember that, in the event of a larger earthquake, it is important to stay calm, keep away from windows or objects that may fall and follow recommendations from local authorities.
This iconic bread takes center stage during Día de los Reyes Magos on Jan 6. (Canva)
There’s no better way to understand a country than by biting into its holiday foods. In Mexico, that means sinking your teeth into the sweet, symbolic goodness of the Rosca de Reyes, Latin America’s answer to king cake in Louisiana and Quebec’s gâteau des rois. Its layers of tradition, candied fruits and hidden surprises make this pastry a wonderful reason to gather and celebrate with family and friends.
This iconic bread takes center stage during Día de los Reyes Magos on Jan 6, the Christian feast day known in English as the Epiphany or Three Kings’ Day, commemorating the Magi’s visit. According to the Gospel of Matthew, the three Wise Men known as Gaspar, Melchor and Balthasar traveled following a bright star to meet the baby Jesus in Bethlehem, bringing with them gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
The evening of Jan. 5 marks the twelfth night of Christmas and is when figures of the three Magi are added to the nativity scene. In Mexico, as in many other Latin American countries, it has traditionally been the Wise Men, not Santa Claus, who bring gifts on Christmas.
What are the origins of the Rosca de Reyes tradition?
The roots of the Rosca de Reyes tradition extend deep into history and are believed to originate with the Roman year-end agricultural festival of Saturnalia. That celebration included eating cake with a coin or other small token hidden inside that bestowed symbolic kingship for a day to the lucky person who bit into the treasure.
This custom evolved in medieval Europe when the Rosca became associated with Epiphany. Whoever found a hidden fava bean in their slice of cake was obligated to treat all the attendees to a round of drinks. The edible treasure was eventually replaced with porcelain to prevent the finder from hiding their responsibility in their belly.
What does the Rosca de Reyes symbolize?
In modern Mexico, the Rosca de Reyes is always oval, symbolizing the infinite circle of God’s love. Candied fruits, such as figs, quince, and cherries, are baked as toppings and symbolize the jewels in the crowns of the Three Wise Men. Hiding the baby Jesus in the bread represents the time when the Holy Family was fleeing from the Massacre of the Innocents – the execution of Bethlehem’s male infants ordered by Herod I.
The excitement on Jan. 6 is tangible as friends gather around a lively table with the Rosca de Reyes at its center. Hot cocoa, milk and coffee add to the delight. The anticipation in the room is palpable as the host slices into the bread. The air is thick with the sweet aroma and every slice is a roll of the dice. Who will be the fortunate guest to choose the slice with a hidden treasure? The room holds its breath while everyone takes a bite. When the figurine emerges, cheers erupt and the party begins.
If you are the one to find it, congratulations! In Mexican tradition, the person who finds the figurine of the baby Jesus becomes responsible for hosting a tamal feast on February 2, Día de la Candelaria or Candlemas Day, commemorating the infant Jesus’ presentation at the Temple in Jerusalem. This makes everyone look forward to gathering again and sharing another delicious meal one month later.
How is Rosca de Reyes made?
The traditional preparation of the Mexican Rosca de Reyes involves a blend of ingredients that contribute to the richness of this holiday bread. The dough is crafted from all-purpose flour, sugar and milk. Butter and eggs create a luscious spongy texture similar to brioche bread. The Rosca’s aroma is enhanced by adding vanilla extract and the zesty brightness of orange blossom water or orange peel.
Topping the Rosca is a combination of softened butter and sugar, creating a sweet and slightly crumbly crust that envelopes the golden bread. The vibrant candied fruits add to the visual feast and all ingredients combine to create a delightful and culturally significant treat.
It is estimated that more than 4 million Roscas de Reyes are sold nationwide every year. The National Chamber of the Baking Industry (Canainpa) indicates that Rosca de Reyes sales generate more than 2.25 billion pesos or 20% of this industry’s annual income.
For expats, embracing the Rosca de Reyes tradition is an invitation to celebrate with neighbors. So next Sunday, seek out the best bakery near you, gather amigos, bite into sugary tradition, and savor the taste of Mexico.
Sandra is a Mexican writer and translator based in San Miguel de Allende who specializes in mental health and humanitarian aid. She believes in the power of language to foster compassion and understanding across cultures. She can be reached at: [email protected]
While Mexico's president said the meeting led to "important agreements," the details have yet to be released. (lopezobrador.org.mx)
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Wednesday that Mexico and the United States reached “important agreements” at a migration-focused meeting in Mexico City, but provided few details about the deals.
As large numbers of migrants continue to enter the United States via Mexico, López Obrador, Foreign Affairs Minister Alicia Bárcena and other Mexican officials met at the National Palace with a U.S. delegation that included Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and Homeland Security Advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall.
President López Obrador hosted the U.S. delegation on Wednesday at the National Palace. (Lopez Obrador/X)
“We asked President Biden to meet with the [U.S. officials] … to directly deal with matters of economic cooperation, security and migration,” López Obrador said in a social media post on Wednesday evening.
“Important agreements were reached for the benefit of our people and nations. Now more than ever the good neighbor policy is essential,” he wrote.
Asked about the agreements at his morning press conference on Thursday, López Obrador – who spoke to Biden about migration last week – said that Mexico has to be “attentive so that [border] crossings aren’t closed,” but didn’t specify what that meant.
“This agreement was reached. The railway crossings and the border bridges are being opened, to normalize the situation,” he said six days after the United States reopened two rail bridges between Mexico and Texas that were closed on Monday last week to allow U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to redeploy personnel to assist operations to detain migrants.
President López Obrador said that an agreement had been reached to reopen railway crossings to “normalize the situation” after closures last week. (Cuartoscuro)
“… We also spoke about attention to the causes of migration, support for countries where people have to abandon their towns out of necessity, to search for work,” López Obrador said, adding that Mexican officials outlined Mexico’s efforts to stem migration via the implementation of employment programs in other countries in the region.
“They’re also doing their thing, they told us about that,” he said before acknowledging that the U.S. has opened up more legal migration pathways.
López Obrador – who in 2019 deployed the National Guard to increase enforcement against migrants after then U.S. president Donald Trump threatened to impose blanket tariffs on Mexican imports – also acknowledged that the U.S. is “overwhelmed” with new arrivals “because there are a lot of needs in the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.”
“There is poverty, and the people look for better living and working conditions with migration,” he said.
An estimated 6,000 migrants departed Tapachula on Christmas Eve, as a new caravan took its first steps towards the U.S.-Mexico border. (Damián Sánchez/Cuartoscuro)
According to unnamed senior U.S. officials cited in a CNN report, Mexico shared plans in the talks to crack down on migrant smugglers.
“… That was really aligned with the things that we’ve been focused on as well. Things like the need to really crack down on the smugglers that are putting migrants on buses, putting migrants on trains. We’ve seen that really contribute to the increase that we’ve seen at the border … in recent weeks,” a Biden administration official said.
López Obrador, who continues to use the National Guard to detain migrants, said last week that the United States wants his government to do more to stop migrants moving through Mexico to the U.S. after entering the country via the southern border with Guatemala.
Bárcena said on the X social media platform on Wednesday that the aim of the meeting with U.S. officials was to “strengthen the economic and political relationship between Mexico and the United States with agreements to cooperate on the structural causes of migration.”
She told reporters outside the National Palace that officials spoke about “the importance of reopening border crossings.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Bárcena receives U.S. Secretary of State Blinken in Mexico City. (Alicia Bárcena/X)
In addition to suspending operations at railway bridges in Eagle Pass and El Paso, U.S. authorities have recently closed vehicle and pedestrian ports of entry in Texas, California and Arizona amid a surge of migrant arrivals at the border.
Bárcena said that the reopening of all border crossings “is a priority for us.”
Her counterpart, Secretary Blinken, said on X that “shared efforts to reduce irregular migration” were discussed at Wednesday’s meeting.
He said that the United States “made clear in Mexico City” that it is “committed to partnering with Mexico to address our shared challenges, including managing unprecedented irregular migration in the region, reopening key ports of entry, and combating illicit fentanyl and other synthetic drugs.”
For his part, Mayorkas said on X that the meeting was “very productive.”
“… The regional challenge of migration requires regional solutions, and we appreciate Mexico’s commitment to continue its efforts alongside us and with others,” he wrote.
Republican Party presidential candidates at a primary debate (from left): Chris Christie, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy and Tim Scott. (Screen capture)
Migration is set to be a key issue in the United States presidential election in 2024.
Biden has come under sustained pressure this year from Republican Party politicians who assert that his administration isn’t doing enough to secure the the United States’ southern border.
President López Obrador with the leaders of Colombia, Cuba, Venezuela, Haiti and Honduras. (Presidencia de la República)
While the Mexican and United States governments have spoken about migration on several occasions this year, Mexico has also been speaking with other countries in the region.
In October, López Obrador hosted a regional migration summit in Palenque, Chiapas, at which the governments of 10 countries, including those of Mexico, Venezuela, Cuba and Colombia, agreed to 14 points to “jointly confront the migration reality” they face.
While the federal government sees the United States as an important part of the solution to the migration problem – with López Obrador repeatedly urging the U.S. Congress to approve additional funding aimed at addressing the root causes of migration – it also believes it has contributed to it.
At the conclusion of the Palenque summit, the governments in attendance sent a clear message to the U.S. in a joint statement: “lift unilateral coercive measures imposed on countries of the region,” such as the embargo against Cuba that has been in place for over six decades.
