Sheinbaum’s mañanera in 60 seconds
- 🍎 CNTE teachers’ strike continues: Sheinbaum said her government lacks the budget to meet the dissident teachers union’s demands, but insists dialogue remains open. She pushed back on street protests while talks are ongoing, noting the union failed to show up to a previously requested meeting with her.
- 🏆 King Felipe VI invited to World Cup: Mexico formally extended an invitation to Spain’s monarch for the tournament opener, as diplomatic relations between the two countries continue to warm following the king’s recent remarks acknowledging abuses during the Spanish conquest.
- ✈️ “Mexico Embraces You” nears 190,000 returnees: Interior Minister Rodríguez reported that nearly 190,000 Mexicans — mainly deportees and voluntary returnees from the U.S. — have been registered under the repatriation program since it launched on January 20, 2025, with over 154,000 arriving by land.
- 🚗 USMCA talks update: Sheinbaum said Mexico has responded point-by-point to a U.S. list of 54 alleged non-tariff barriers, declaring the concerns largely settled. Mexico’s top priority in the ongoing talks is eliminating tariffs on the automotive, steel and aluminum sectors.
Why today’s mañanera matters
Thursday’s mañanera touched on both domestic pressure points and several delicate international issues ranging from U.S. deportations to relations with the King of Spain.
A day after members of a dissident teachers union started a 72-hour strike demanding higher wages, President Claudia Sheinbaum insisted her administration does not have the budget to address CNTE’s demands.
The thaw in Mexico’s diplomatic relations with Spain continued as Mexico formally invited King Felipe VI to this summer’s World Cup. But while relations with Spain warmed, Mexico took note of a more somber milestone regarding relations with the United States: The government’s “Mexico Embraces You” repatriation program — designed to welcome and support Mexicans deported from the U.S. — has registered nearly 190,000 returnees since early 2025.
The president also mentioned that the Economy Ministry’s priority during ongoing talks with the U.S. Trade Representative in the context of the review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement is to achieve the elimination of tariffs for the automotive, steel and aluminum industries.
Dialogue with striking teachers continues
As members of the CNTE teachers union prepared a second day of marches and blockades in the capital, Sheinbaum said her administration is willing to maintain talks with the teachers, but criticized their decision to take to the streets.
“If negotiating channels are open, why shut down the streets?” she asked, referring to ongoing talks in the states where the CNTE operates.
The president insisted that the door to dialogue remains open, saying it is the preferred way to approach conflict resolution, but questioned the CNTE’s commitment to compromise.
“The last time they asked to meet with me, they didn’t show up,” she said.
The Education Ministry and Segob have hosted talks with the CNTE, but Sheinbaum maintains that there are insufficient public funds to meet their demands for higher wages.
She recalled that a 10% salary increase was approved last year and said her government is actively looking for other ways to provide support, “because we believe in Mexico’s teachers.”
Last year, the CNTE staged 20 days of protests in Mexico City and they have threatened to take action during the World Cup if their demands are not met.
Among their top demands is the repeal of the 2007 revision of the ISSSTE Law, which governs social security and pensions for state employees. That reform transformed the solidarity-based pension scheme into one reliant on individual accounts.
Mexico invites Spanish monarch to inaugural World Cup match
Although reluctant to characterize diplomatic relations with Spain as on the mend, Sheinbaum confirmed that King Felipe VI had been invited to the World Cup.
Sheinbaum demurred by saying that Gabriela Cuevas, Mexico’s representative to FIFA, sent invitations to all countries of the world with whom Mexico maintains diplomatic relations.
The news follows Felipe’s remarks on Monday that there were “significant abuses” during Spain’s conquest and colonization of Mexico in the 16th century.
On Tuesday, Sheinbaum said the comments might not have been everything Mexico had hoped for, but admitted that it was “undeniably a gesture of rapprochement by the king.”
Repatriation program approaches 200,000 registered arrivals
Interior Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez reported that between Jan. 20, 2025, and March 18 of this year, the government’s “Mexico Embraces You” strategy program registered 189,830 repatriations.
Rodríguez said the Command Center, the Segob entity that records incident reports during the return process, reported “a clean record” thus far.
Se han realizado 189,830 repatriaciones de connacionales como parte de la Estrategia Nacional de Repatriación “México Te Abraza”, del 20 de enero de 2025 al 18 de marzo de 2026, informó la secretaria de Gobernación, Rosa Icela Rodríguez. pic.twitter.com/EnuHRZgjgI
— NMás (@nmas) March 19, 2026
She said that of the nearly 190,000 arrivals, more than 154,000 Mexican citizens registered by the Command Center came home by land.
The “Mexico Embraces You” program was implemented the same day Donald Trump was sworn in as U.S. president last year. It aims to provide support and a dignified reception to Mexican nationals returning home in the face of what Trump said would be “the largest deportation operation in American history.”
An update on ongoing USMCA talks
As the mañanera came to an end, Sheinbaum said her administration had thoroughly responded to U.S. complaints about obstacles to free trade.
The U.S. government had submitted a list of 54 measures that it categorized as “non-tariff barriers.” Among the primary U.S. concerns are limits to private foreign investment in Mexico’s energy sector — an issue directly affecting U.S. companies — the ban on planting genetically modified corn and the restrictions on open-pit mining and fracking.
Responding to a question, Sheinbaum said the vast majority have already been addressed and defended point-by-point.
“Mexico clearly presented its position within the existing legal framework,” she said, “answering each concern one-by-one. I believe the concerns have been settled.”
Sheinbaum added that Mexico’s priority is to achieve the elimination of tariffs for the automotive, steel and aluminum industries.
Mexico News Daily
