Sunday, July 6, 2025

Sheinbaum condemns criminalization of migrants: Monday’s mañanera recapped

By
MND Staff
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President Sheinbaum stands at a podium during her morning press conference
President Sheinbaum discussed U.S. sanctuary cities, the economic value of immigrants and the pope's funeral at her Monday press conference. (Gabriel Monroy/Presidencia)

At her Monday morning press conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum responded to questions about Mexicans in the United States and U.S. President Donald Trump’s crusade against so-called “sanctuary cities.”

In response to another question, she deflected criticism of her non-attendance at the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday.

Sheinbaum: ‘The criminalization of migrants is essentially racist’

In response to a question about the importance of Mexicans to the United States economy and society, Sheinbaum said her compatriots have lived north of the (current) border for “several generations.”

“They already lived there when they took half our territory, or more than half our territory,” she said, referring to land Mexico lost to the United States in the 19th century.

Sheinbaum highlighted that most Mexicans in the United States live there legally.

“Of the 38 million there are estimated to be … there are 4 million who don’t have documents, but the majority of them have been in the United States for many years and contribute,” she said.

President Sheinbaum looks on as another official shares a presentation
Sheinbaum invited Ana Teresa Ramírez Valdez, director of the think tank Latino Donor Collaborative, to present on the importance of immigrants to the U.S. economy during Monday’s press conference. (Gabriel Monroy/Presidencia)

“It is estimated that 20% of the earnings of Mexicans [in the United States] is sent [to Mexico] in remittances. What does that mean? That 80% stays in the United States, in savings, in consumption, in the payment of taxes,” Sheinbaum said.

“So this idea that migrants take jobs [from U.S. citizens], it’s the complete opposite, they help the United States economy,” she said.

Without mentioning his name, Sheinbaum took a swipe at Donald Trump, who has used a rather broad brush in characterizing many migrants as criminals while vowing to carry out “the largest deportation operation in American history.”

“The criminalization of migrants is essentially racist,” Sheinbaum said.

“What we’re saying is that … we have to talk about those 4 million undocumented [Mexicans] with the government of the United States,” she said.

In anticipation of a possible flood of deportations, the Mexican government created a program called “México te abraza” (Mexico embraces you) to support Mexicans deported from the United States during the second Trump administration. However, in the more than three months since Trump took office, the pace of deportations has not been faster than under previous U.S. presidents.

‘We will always defend our compatriots’ 

A reporter asked Sheinbaum about Trump’s proposed “executive order against sanctuary cities,” which the U.S. president signed later on Monday.

Trump signed the order “to enforce federal law with respect to sanctuary jurisdictions to protect their citizens from dangerous illegal aliens,” according to a White House fact sheet.

The fact sheet said that:

  • “The Order directs the Attorney General and Secretary of Homeland Security to publish a list of States and local jurisdictions obstructing federal immigration law enforcement and notify each sanctuary jurisdiction of its non-compliance, providing an opportunity to correct it.”

It added that:

  • “Sanctuary jurisdictions that do not comply with federal law may lose federal funding.”

Sheinbaum said that her government will “always defend our compatriots” in the United States, and will soon announce “changes we’re going to carry out in the [Mexican] consulates” in the U.S. “so that they have even more support.”

She reiterated that her administration is opposed to Trump’s mass deportation plans, and told reporters that five Mexicans were detained in a federal raid in Colorado Springs on Sunday.

Mexico was ‘very well represented’ at Pope’s funeral 

A reporter asked the president to respond to criticism that she didn’t personally attend the funeral of Pope Francis, held on Saturday in Saint Peter’s Square, Vatican City, prior to interment at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome.

“We were very well represented by [Interior Minister] Rosa Icela [Rodríguez],” Sheinbaum responded.

She once again spoke in glowing terms about “the legacy and life of Pope Francis,” who she described as a “humanist pope who always put the poor first.”

“He leaves a great legacy to the whole world, to Catholics and non-Catholics,” Sheinbaum said.

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

Mexican tourism to US hits 4-year low. Is the ‘Trump Effect’ to blame?

By
MND Staff
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tourist couple on the beach in Mexico
While Americans and Canadians are still heading to Mexico's beaches, fewer Mexicans are heading northward for business or pleasure. (Elizabeth Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)

The number of Mexicans visiting the United States has fallen for the first time in four years, according to data from the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), with the 668,840 Mexican tourists arriving in the U.S. by plane or boat between January and March representing a 7.2% decrease from the first quarter (Q1) of 2024. 

There was a 19% decline in business visitors and a 5.1% fall in leisure tourists, according to the DOC. 

a small group of marches in Mexican garb
Some tourism experts see a connection between the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and a decline in Mexican tourists in the United States. As one put it, “Policies regarding visas and deportations (are) affecting the cross-border market.” (David Bacon/Cuartoscuro.com)

The number of European visitors to the U.S. also decreased by around 7%. This coincides with media reports of some European visitors being detained and deported at U.S. borders. 

In March alone, tourist arrivals to the U.S. from Mexico fell by 23%. During that same month, visitors to the U.S. from Germany fell by an estimated 28%; from Ireland, 26%; from Spain, 24%; from South Korea, 14.5%; from the United Kingdom, 14%; and from France, 8%.

U.S. President Trump’s hostility to foreign visitors has been widely blamed for the decrease in tourism.

In an April press conference, a reporter asked Trump why he thought fewer people were traveling to the U.S., referencing the “steep drop-off” in international travel to the country.

“It’s not a big deal,” Trump replied.

Gerardo Herrera, an academic at Mexico’s Iberoamericana University, explained, “There is a widespread belief that if you travel to the United States right now, you may encounter surprises, such as being denied entry or having your visa canceled.”

A shift in tourist destinations

The number of visitors from Canada to the U.S. fell by around 5% in Q1, compared to the same period last year. 

Francisco Madrid, Anáhuac University Cancún’s director of the Sustainable Tourism Advanced Research Center (STARC), believes the animosity caused by the trade war is deterring people from visiting the U.S. 

“Maybe Trump thinks it’s funny to say he can annex a country like Canada, but not for the Canadians,” Madrid said. “And part of this behavior is deciding not to go to that country.” 

The tariffs are creating instability in the U.S. and making prices unpredictable, according to the travel marketing company Sojern.

“Additionally, we’re seeing some policies regarding visas and deportations affecting the market, particularly in cross-border markets like Canada and Mexico,” Sojern’s Nick Beaulieu said.

Meanwhile, interest in travel to Mexico has risen, as it has all year, with international flight bookings from Canada to Mexico increasing by 6% in Q1, compared to the same period last year. 

Canadian tourist arrivals had previously risen by 14.5% between 2018 and 2023, according to Mexico’s Tourism Ministry.

Mexico typically sees higher visitor traffic from Canada during Canada’s cold winter months, but whether the trend of increased Canadian visitation continues into the summer remains to be seen.

There could be between a 5% and 8% increase in tourism from Canada to the Mexican Caribbean, according to Rodrigo de la Peña Segura, president of the Cancún, Puerto Morelos and Isla Mujeres Hotel Association.

“The Canadian market is really going to rebound significantly for us,” he said.

A similar trend is expected from European visitors, according to Peña Segura.

With reports from El Sol de México, El Imparcial, El Heraldo de México Quintana Roo, Associated Press, MSNBC and BBC

US ag secretary threatens to restrict Mexican cattle imports over screwworm outbreak

By
MND Staff
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Cattle walk down a rural road in Chiapas
New World screwworm has moved from Central America into Mexico, threatening the status of cattle exports to the U.S. (Isabel Mateos/Cuartoscuro)

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has written to her Mexican counterpart to warn that imports of Mexican cattle could once again be restricted if Mexico doesn’t take additional steps to combat the New World screwworm (NWS).

The United States paused imports of Mexican cattle last November after cases of screwworm — a flesh-eating pest — were identified in the southern state of Chiapas. More than 800 cases have been detected in animals in southern and southeastern Mexico since then.

Mexico resumed cattle exports to the United States in February after the two countries signed an agreement that set out stricter screwworm control measures and significantly reduced the number of calves that can enter the U.S. per day.

Screwworm maggots can enter the body of livestock and other animals through open wounds and subsequently feed on animals’ living flesh. Cases in humans are rare, but can occur, with Mexico’s Health Ministry reporting one such case in Chiapas earlier this month.

In her April 26 letter to Mexican Agriculture Minister Julio Berdegué, Rollins said that Mexico and the United States are “at a critical inflection point” in their “shared campaign” against the New World screwworm, and declared that she is “very concerned about our collaboration.”

“The outbreak in southern Mexico continues to expand, and every day that passes without full deployment of sterile insect technique (SIT) operations represents a lost opportunity to contain this pest and prevent its spread beyond the Isthmus of Tehuantepec,” she wrote.

Rollins complained that Mexican aviation authorities have imposed restrictions on Dynamic Aviation, a U.S. company that uses aircraft to release large numbers of sterile screwworm flies to combat the propagation of the pest.

She said that the restrictions “appear inconsistent with a successful and coordinated campaign” against screwworm.

“As an initial matter, they have limited Dynamic to flying under a temporary 60-day permit, … which does not give the necessary assurance that our current activities can be sustained,” Rollins said.

“In addition, they have limited Dynamic to flying only 6 days per week, whereas the success of the operation requires consistent flights 7 days per week,” she wrote.

The agriculture minister also said that her department had been informed that Mexican customs authorities are “imposing substantial import duties on critical aviation parts, dispersal equipment, and sterile fly shipments.”

“This is despite the fact that all materials and operations are being funded entirely by the U.S. government to support our shared goal of stopping the northward spread of NWS and pushing the pest back toward the biological barrier at the Darién Gap,” Rollins wrote.

Closeup of the New World Screwworm Fly sitting on a leaf. It has orange at the head and a vibrant blue on its back.
Larvae of the New World screwworm fly infect mammals by burrowing into open wounds. (University of Florida)

“We do not understand how our official efforts to stop a common pest can be subject to such burdensome custom duties. These delays and costs not only disrupt operations but risk delaying aircraft deployment at the precise moment when rapid action is needed most,” she said.

Rollins urged Mexico’s Agriculture Ministry (SADER) to take immediate steps to “remove these barriers” and also asked the ministry to “engage directly” with other authorities to “facilitate Dynamic’s operational clearance for a minimum of one year, preferably as long as needed or indefinitely.”

She also asked the ministry to “secure full import clearance and duty waivers for all NWS-related aircraft parts, sterile flies, and SIT equipment currently being provided by” the United States “for the eradication campaign.”

In addition, Rollins requested that SADER “designate a high-level point of contact who will work directly with” the the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) “to remove remaining bureaucratic and regulatory obstacles with urgency.”

“Time is of the essence,” the agriculture secretary wrote.

“… The situation requires immediate attention and decisive coordination at the highest levels of your government. I must inform you that if these issues are not resolved by Wednesday, April 30, USDA will restrict the importation of animal commodities, which consist of live cattle, bison and equine originating from or transiting Mexico to protect the interest of the agriculture industry in the United States,” Rollins said.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins
In her letter, Rollins listed concerns about permits granted to an aviation company working on screwworm mitigation and the fact that Mexico charged import duties on equipment shipped by the company. (USDA)

That warning prompted the El Financiero newspaper to ask a pertinent question in a headline — “With what will they fill their burritos?”

In her letter, Rollins also proposed “convening a U.S.-Mexico NWS Aerial Dispersion Strategy Meeting, with participation from both governments, technical experts, and operational partners, to align our strategy and ensure a seamless and sustained response.”

Berdegué said on social media on Sunday that he “promptly” responded to the agriculture secretary’s letter.

“As our President Claudia Sheinbaum has said, we act with a cool head, we collaborate, we cooperate, but we never allow ourselves to be subordinated,” he wrote.

“… I’m sure we’ll reach good agreements,” Berdegué added.

Sheinbaum: SADER has been working to combat screwworm since the pest first appeared

At her Monday morning press conference, President Sheinbaum effectively dismissed some of the USDA’s requests of Mexico with regard to the fight against screwworm, saying that they “are not appropriate”

She said that SADER has been working to combat screwworm since it was identified in Chiapas late last year.

There are “many systems of control” against the pest that have long been in operation in Mexico, Sheinbaum added.

President Sheinbaum at her morning press conference
The president said some of the U.S. demands were appropriate while others were excessive. (Presidencia)

“But now we’re reinforcing [our systems] from [Mexico’s] southern border to avoid propagation in the entire country,” she said.

Sheinbaum appeared to attribute the United States’ dissatisfaction with Mexico on the issue to political reasons, highlighting that “several” U.S. states — 36 in fact — will hold gubernatorial elections in November 2026.

“So what we’ve been saying is that Mexico can’t be used as a piñata as part of their campaign, in a negative way,” she said.

“… There are things in which they’re right, [matters] of collaboration, of coordination, and others we believe are excesses,” Sheinbaum said.

“But the important thing is to attend to this screwworm situation in cattle, which we are doing,” she said.

With reports from Europa Press

US, Canada issue security alert for Los Cabos and La Paz, BCS

By
MND Staff
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Travelers to Baja California Sur are advised to exercise increased caution, avoid crowds, monitor local media for official updates and follow instructions from local authorities.
Travelers to Baja California Sur are advised to exercise increased caution, avoid crowds, monitor local media for official updates and follow instructions from local authorities. (José Betanzos Zárate/Cuartoscuro)

The governments of Canada and the United States have issued a security alert for travelers to Los Cabos (Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo) and La Paz following a series of violent incidents in the state of Baja California Sur.

The alert comes after several reports of shootings and clashes between civilians and police throughout last week. Three passenger buses were also set on fire in Los Cabos on April 24. 

On April 22, separate attacks in the area surrounding Los Cabos claimed the lives of three high-ranking law enforcement officials, including two soldiers and the commander of the Narcotics Unit of the Baja California Sur Attorney General’s Office, Ulises Omar Cota Montaño.

Both incidents are presumably related to the recent appearance of “narcomantas,” or banners announcing cartel threats in La Paz and at the Los Cabos International Airport.

Antonio López Rodríguez, head of the prosecutor’s office of the state of Baja California, said a comprehensive investigation is being carried out.

On Thursday, several passenger buses were set on fire in the municipality of Los Cabos. According to the federal Security Ministry (SSPC),  security agents from several agencies were deployed to an operation at a property located in the Arcos del Sol neighborhood, where several individuals who may have participated in the incident were sheltering. In a press release, the SSPC announced that four men aged 22, 24, 25, and 29 were arrested, and seven firearms, magazines, and cartridges were seized in the operation. 

A travel advisory is also in place for Mazatlán and other areas in Sinaloa, due to an ongoing internal dispute within the Sinaloa Cartel, which erupted following the U.S. arrest of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada in July 2024.

According to local media reports, April 7 was the most violent day of 2025 in Sinaloa, with a total of 14 homicides, nine of which occurred at a rehabilitation center in Culiacán.

Authorities have also reported threats against public officials and increasing criminal activity in the area. Travelers are advised to exercise increased caution, avoid crowds, monitor local media for official updates and follow instructions from local authorities while visiting Baja California Sur and Sinaloa.

With reports from El Heraldo de Saltillo, Infobae and Pax News

Opinion: Mexico’s Día del Niño is also Día del Libro (books!)

By
Geoffrey Drayton
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día del niño, Children's Day
Why not consider the gift of books this Día del Niño for the children in your life? (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro)

Día del Niño — Children’s Day — in Mexico is upon us.

There’s no doubt that children who celebrate Día on both sides of the United States-Mexico border hope that April 30th brings gifts of candy, toys or perhaps coveted items like new sneakers or electronics. But we can do more than just satisfy a sweet tooth or indulge the newest trend; we can give children the gift that lasts a lifetime — a taste for reading.

Children's Day Mexico
Children’s Day, which is celebrated every April 30 in Mexico, is an opportunity to encourage healthy habits in children. (Graciela López/Cuartoscuro)

Día del Niño y la Niña became literacy-focused in 1997 when Pat Mora, poet and author of more than 40 children’s books, wrote, “We have Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. We need Kids’ Day too, but I want to connect all children with ‘bookjoy,’ or the pleasure of reading.”

Mora’s message is even more important today. Children need to rediscover the magic and adventures that lie between the covers of a book, because research has shown us that children who read more become better readers.

And children on both sides of the border need to be better readers in order to develop the critical thinking and employability skills that their futures demand. In Mexico, one in three third-grade students cannot comprehend what they read. In the U.S., a full 40% of 4th-grade students fail to meet even basic grade-level reading standards. In reading on the PISA test, 20% of American 15-year-olds read at a 10-year-old’s level.

Although Día del Niño y la Niña is a celebration, it’s a good time to think about these sobering statistics.

Today, Día is a nationally recognized initiative that emphasizes the importance of literacy for all children from all backgrounds. It is a commitment to linking children and their families to diverse books, languages and cultures. But in order to read, children need books, and books are not easily available and accessible to all families.

So, why not consider the gift of books this Día del Niño for the children in your life?

Of course, children who did not grow up with a strong reading culture at home and who have not developed the habit on their own may not want to read — at least until they’ve tried it enough to learn the joy that reading truly is. Again, this is where we adults must incentivize them until reading becomes a habit, or at least a regular activity.

This summer, the binational organization 311Literacy is giving kids access to over 10,000 books.

Kids can participate in The Great Reading Tournament (TGRT), an international competition in English and Spanish that incentivizes reading and rewards readers for the time they spend reading and comprehending what they have read. For just US $10, kids get summer-long access to 10,000 books online in both Spanish and English.

Starting June 15, the tournament’s platform will track the amount of time the kids spend reading, and those who read the most win real prizes. So far, more than 40,000 kids have participated, collectively reading for more than four million minutes.

In the spirit of “it takes a village,” and recognizing that no one in society benefits when the younger generation is less educated than the current one, TGRT also invites corporate and philanthropic organizations to sponsor underserved students who face challenges in accessing the program.

We adults have the power to give los niños the gift of a lifetime: meaningful literacy.

It’s a gift we cannot afford to withhold. On Día del Niño, let’s recognize the significance of children to society, make a fuss over the kids, and give them the best adventure of all: the ability to discover for themselves the joy and power of reading.

Lady Gaga enchants Mexican audience with special message in Spanish

By
MND Staff
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Lady Gaga speaks to a concert audience from a balcony draped with a Mexican flag
Lady Gaga surprised Mexico City fans with a message in Spanish dedicated to her "beautiful little monsters." (X)

Lady Gaga made a triumphant return to Mexico City over the weekend, thrilling more than 61,000 fans each night at Estadio GNP Seguros with a theatrical spectacle and heartfelt messages delivered in Spanish.

The pop superstar, back in Mexico for the first time in 13 years, kicked off her “¡Viva La Mayhem!” tour with Saturday and Sunday night shows that blended her biggest hits, new material and elaborate staging.

Opening the first portion of a five-chapter show, Gaga was backed by a monumental stage structure reminiscent of a decaying, neo-Baroque opera house, in keeping with the spirit of “Mayhem,” her eighth and latest album and the impetus for her new world tour.

In a red dress that transformed into a cage, Gaga spoke to the audience “in perfect Spanish,” according to the digital news source Infobae, launching into “Bloody Mary” and “Abracadabra” as dancers emerged around her.

“To all my beautiful little monsters, tonight it’s an honor for me to be here in this beautiful country performing for you,” Gaga said in Spanish, drawing a thunderous ovation from her “little monsters” (her diehard fans) as she waved the Mexican flag. “I’ve worked hard on stage tonight to show you how much I admire and respect you … I’m happy to be back after 13 years.”

The concert featured nearly 30 dancers, moving platforms and a setlist of 28 songs.

Fresh off a “test run” at the Coachella festival earlier this month, the staging presented a narrative of Gaga’s internal struggle between light and darkness. In one chapter, she is lying at ground-level on a sandy grave and interacting with skeletons, before being reborn as sort of an angel-monster.

She performed classics such as “Poker Face,” “Born This Way” and “Bad Romance,” as well as new tracks from “Mayhem.” She debuted “Blade of Grass,” a song dedicated to her fiancé, Michael Polansky, and delivered an emotional piano rendition of “Shallow.”

“Mexico City is a special place in my heart because it’s where I finished my first stadium tour,” Gaga said. “I’m proud to share this moment with you again, only this time, it’s not the end, but the beginning.”

Adding to the excitement, pop star Katy Perry attended the Sunday night show. Perry was in Mexico City for her own tour, which included three dates at Mexico City Arena and has since moved on to Monterrey Arena for two shows.

Perry praised Gaga on Instagram, writing, “Show was MAGNIFICA! … So proud of you and grateful to grow up together @ladygaga Love u.”

With reports from Infobae, El País and Associated Press

How to prepare for Tuesday’s earthquake alert drill 

By
MND Staff
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Earthquake alert drill in Mexico
Earthquake alert drills are yearly occurrences in Mexico, where earthquakes are common. (Carolina Jiménez/Cuartoscuro)

Mexico will conduct one of two annual earthquake alert drills on Tuesday morning to test its emergency response capabilities in central and southwestern Mexico. Authorities are encouraging everybody to participate.

Alarms and wireless emergency alerts are set to activate at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. The drill will be based on a hypothetical 8.1 magnitude earthquake centered just offshore in the Gulf of Tehuantepec.

The simulation will activate the nearly 15,000 warning alarm speakers distributed throughout 11 states. (Crisanta Espinosa Aguilar/Cuartoscuro.com)

President Claudia Sheinbaum called the drill “one of the most relevant prevention and civil protection exercises” that Mexico will stage this year.

Emergency personnel and security agents will conduct inspections in their respective operational areas. 

At the same time, Navy personnel will be conducting a tsunami response exercise along the Pacific coast.

Laura Velázquez Alzúa, the coordinator of Mexico’s National Civil Protection Agency, said the year’s first emergency drill “not only promotes a culture of prevention but also allows us to evaluate emergency protocols and inter-institutional coordination.”

Tuesday’s drill will activate the nation’s earthquake alert infrastructure, which features nearly 15,000 speakers dispersed across 10 states (México state, Guerrero, Morelos, Puebla, Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán, Oaxaca, Tlaxcala and Chiapas) and Mexico City. Alert messages will also sound on the radio, television and, in the Mexico City metropolitan area, on cellphones.

This will be the second time the cellphone alert system will be tested, and its effectiveness would represent a significant advance in early alert technology. Chile is the only country in the Americas with a centralized national alert system.

Mexico’s Digital Transformation and Telecommunications Agency has conducted 10 silent tests of cellphone alert technology with the cooperation of telecom companies Telefónica, Telcel and AT&T. The system is expected to send written messages accompanied by an alarm to five million cellphones. On Tuesday, the message will say, “This is a drill.”

Also on Tuesday, the National Emergency Commission (CNE) will convene with the virtual participation of all 31 governors and the Mexico City mayor. The CNE will conduct an analysis of the exercise and publish a performance review afterward.

Instructions will be communicated to passengers using public transportation when the alarm sounds. Metro users in Mexico City can expect trains to come to a halt for three minutes during the drill.

The most recent earthquake drill in Mexico was held on September 19, 2024, the anniversary of both the 1985 and 2017 earthquakes in central Mexico.

Authorities have provided reminders about the importance of listening to public messages and heeding the instructions of emergency personnel. Among their recommendations is to use these drills to identify safe places, escape routes and prepare an emergency “go bag,” including nonperishable food, water bottles, first aid, a flashlight and important personal documents.

With reports from El Universal, Infobae and El Economista

Oaxaca Aerospace unveils first 100% Mexican-made aircraft

By
MND Staff
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A team of engineers stands arms crossed in front of a small airplane
Fourteen years of research and work by an engineering crew of 25 preceeded Oaxaca Aerospace's presentation of the PE-210A at the recent Mexican Aerospace Fair. (Oaxaca Aerospace/Facebook)

Mexican manufacturing company Oaxaca Aerospace has announced plans to bring the first-ever 100% made-in-Mexico aircraft, the Pegasus PE-210A, to market by next year.

“We will begin manufacturing the first aircraft based on [clients’] orders, to be delivered within 12 months,” Raúl Fernández, president of Oaxaca Aerospace, said during the aircraft’s official presentation at the Mexican Aerospace Fair (Famex) 2025, held at the Santa Lucía Air Base in Mexico City last week. 

A small airplane parked on a runway with the logo Pegasus
The all-Mexican-made aircraft features a tandem cockpit configuration where passengers are seated one behind the other. (Oaxaca Aerospace/Facebook)

According to the company, the Pegasus PE-210A will sell for US $3 million, representing 30% of the cost of similar aircraft on the international market.

“It will be able to perform missions very similar to those of a Texan model, but with much more affordable acquisition and operating costs,” Fernández said.

According to executives at Oaxaca Aerospace, the design phase alone required an investment of nearly US $30 million. 

The Pegasus PE-210A, intended for tactical, surveillance and recreational use, is a two-seat aircraft featuring a tandem cockpit configuration where passengers are seated one behind the other. It has an operational range of 1,600 kilometers, and can attain speeds of approximately 388 km/h. Its maximum flight duration will be five hours. 

The project required 14 years of research and development carried out by a team of 25 individuals. Various national and international institutions collaborated in the plane’s development, including the National Polytechnic Institute, the Aeronautical University of Querétaro, the Polytechnic University of Madrid, and the National Institute for Aviation Research in the United States, which provided specialized technical support.

At Famex, the Mexican company also revealed details of another project under development: the Pegasus P-400T, a prototype geared toward advanced tactical missions and light attack operations. This model will feature an engine of up to 600 horsepower, reinforced retractable landing gear, and the Garmin G1000 avionics system.

The company explained that the P-400T will be able to carry light weapons according to customer requirements and will be compatible with emerging propulsion technologies, such as the use of hydrogen as an alternative fuel.

Manuel Pérez Cárdenas, executive advisor to the Business Coordinating Council (CCE), said in a press conference that Oaxaca Aerospace has the potential to capture up to 1% of the global light aircraft market, which would represent an annual demand for approximately 50 units.

Founded in 2011, Oaxaca Aerospace had one goal in mind: designing and manufacturing aircraft entirely in Mexico. The family-owned company, headquartered in the southern state of Oaxaca, was driven by the vision and resources of the Fernández Group, which opted for national innovation without resorting to large investors or foreign capital.

“We’ve already fulfilled the dream; the plane is already flying,” Fernández said.  “Now comes the second challenge: mass production.”

With reports from Wired and Proceso

Mexico posts strong first-quarter trade performance despite US protectionism

By
MND Staff
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Mexico's manufacturing exports
In the first three months of the year, manufacturing exports generated $134 billion in revenue, a 5.5% increase compared to the first quarter of last year. (Bernd Dittrich/Unsplash)

The value of Mexico’s exports increased in annual terms to all-time highs in March and in the first quarter of 2025 despite the United States’ imposition of tariffs on a range of Mexican goods.

Data published by the national statistics agency INEGI on Monday shows that Mexico’s exports were worth US $55.52 billion last month, a 9.6% increase compared to March 2024. The almost 10% increase in export earnings came after a 2.9% year-over-year decline in February.

INEGI data also shows that Mexico earned $149.25 billion in export revenue in the first three months of 2025, a 4% increase compared to the first quarter of last year.

The record-high March and first quarter export earnings came as United States President Donald Trump began implementing a range of “America First” protectionist policies, including 25% tariffs on Mexican steel and aluminum that took effect on March 12.

For two days in early March, 25% tariffs were in effect for all Mexican products shipped to the United States, but on March 6 Trump lifted duties on USMCA-compliant goods, a decision the U.S. president said he took “as an accommodation, and out of respect for, President [Claudia] Sheinbaum.”

“Our relationship has been a very good one, and we are working hard, together, on the Border, both in terms of stopping Illegal Aliens from entering the United States and, likewise, stopping Fentanyl,” he wrote on social media at the time.

Mexico ships more than 80% of its exports to the United States, and is the world’s top exporter to the world’s largest economy. Mexico’s total export revenue exceeded $600 billion for the first time in a calendar year in 2024, with more that $500 billion of that amount coming from goods sent to the U.S.

It remains to be seen whether Mexico can set a new export record in 2025, even as U.S. tariffs apply to various Mexican goods, including lucrative auto exports.

Mining revenue surges, but manufacturing sector is still Mexico’s export powerhouse  

The 9.6% year-over-year increase in export revenue in March can partially be attributed to the fact that Holy Week fell in March last year, while the week leading up to Easter Sunday was in April in 2025.

Nevertheless, the result is good news for the Mexican export sector at a time when there is considerable uncertainty over the future of its trading relationship with the United States.

INEGI data shows that the lion’s share (90%) of Mexico’s export revenue in March came from the shipment abroad of manufactured goods. The manufacturing sector’s export earnings increased 10% annually last month to $49.99 billion.

The export of agricultural goods brought in revenue of $2.29 billion in March, a 2.8% decrease compared to the same month of last year, while international oil sales generated earnings of $2.17 billion, a 7.1% year-over-year increase.

How is Mexico responding to the Trump tariffs?

Revenue from mining exports surged 34.1% to $1.06 billion, but only represented 1.9% of Mexico’s total export earnings last month.

In the first three months of the year, manufacturing exports generated $134 billion in revenue, a 5.5% increase compared to the first quarter of last year. Automotive exports fell 3.9% annually in the period, but non-auto manufactured products compensated for that decline by increasing 10.7%.

The value of agricultural exports fell 1.2% annually in Q1 to $6.64 billion while oil earnings plunged 21.9% to $5.81 billion.

Mining exports brought in revenue of $2.78 billion between January and March, a 22.6% increase compared to the first quarter of 2024.

Mexico records trade surplus in March and Q1 

Mexico imported goods worth $52.08 billion in March, a 7.1% increase compared to the same month last year.

Mexico thus recorded a trade surplus of $3.44 billion last month. INEGI reported that the surplus was up 72.8% compared to March 2024.

Spending on imports totaled $148.15 billion in the first quarter of the year, a 1.3% year-over-year increase.

Mexico recorded a $1.09 billion surplus in the first three months of the year, a turnaround compared to its $8.21 billion deficit in 2024.

With reports from La Jornada and El Economista

Sheinbaum inaugurates work on CDMX-Querétaro train

By
MND Staff
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5
President Sheinbaum raises a fist while standing next to a military engineer
Sheinbaum said the train will be complete by the end of Querétaro Gov. Mauricio Kuri's term in 2027. (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)

President Claudia Sheinbaum on Sunday formally inaugurated the Mexico City-Querétaro train project, a 226-km-long route connecting Mexico’s capital with a city and state that have experienced dynamic economic growth in recent years.

At a ceremony 30 kilometers outside Querétaro city, Sheinbaum said construction will cost an estimated 167 billion pesos (US $8.5 billion).

Upon announcing the project in October, authorities had estimated a cost of 75 billion pesos (US $3.75 billion). Cost estimates rose, project engineers said, after determining it will be necessary to build six tunnels, 14 elevated aqueducts, 28 underpasses and 52 overpasses.

The Defense Ministry is charged with completing the project in two-and-a-half years.

“My commitment is to complete the route before [Governor Mauricio Kuri’s] term ends,” Sheinbaum said. Kuri, a member of the opposition National Action Party, will be in office until Sept. 30, 2027.

Sheinbaum expressed confidence in the military’s ability to meet the deadline, saying “there’s nobody more capable.” She also emphasized that using the military will keep the train in public hands.

A construction worker digs along side a train track while a military vehicle drives by
The Defense Ministry has been placed in charge of building the new train route. (Mauricio Kuri/X)

General and army engineer Gustavo Ricardo Vallejo, who oversaw construction of the Felipe Ángeles International Airport, said his men will be working 24-7.

“It is in our best interest to finish the project on time, efficiently and flawlessly,” Vallejo said.

The proposed timeline is assisted by the fact that the route will largely rely on existing freight train tracks. Military engineers will focus on smoothing out curves and addressing vertical divergences, allowing the train to reach speeds of 160-200 km/h.

During remarks at the ceremony, Governor Kuri thanked Sheinbaum, recalling that a Mexico City-Querétaro train had been under consideration by several previous administrations, none of whom had moved beyond vague proposals.

In a social media post, Kuri called the project “a reflection of the shared vision and commitment to the development of our state and our country, boosting communications, investment, and employment.”

Marco del Prete, Querétaro’s minister of social development, said the train will be an engine of growth for thousands of families. In a social media post of his own, del Prete also said the route will have stations in Mexico City; Huehuetoca, México state; Tula, Hidalgo; San Juan del Río, Querétaro; and two stations in Querétaro city.

“[This] historic project … will connect regions, boost efficient mobility, and generate more than 600,000 direct and indirect jobs,” del Prete wrote.

Sheinbaum announced that the terminal in Querétaro city will be called “La Corregidora,” an homage to Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez, a heroine of the Mexican independence movement.

The president also reiterated her promise to build more than 3,000 kilometers of railway track for passenger trains.

As part of the goal to extend passenger train routes to the north of the country, the Querétaro station will eventually link to the border city of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, in the northeast, and connect to the northwestern border city of Nogales, Sonora.

“Querétaro will become a railroad hub,” Sheinbaum said. “Trains connecting to the Pacific and Gulf coasts will depart from here.”

Sunday’s ceremony occurred just five weeks after Sheinbaum inaugurated the Mexico City-Pachuca train project.

With reports from El Economista, La Jornada and Eje Central

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