The discovery of space debris in Tamaulipas and Mexico’s desire to promptly enter into a “global agreement” with the United States were among the topics President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke about at her Thursday morning press conference.
Here is a recap of the president’s June 19 mañanera.
Elon Musk’s space debris washes up in Tamaulipas
A reporter from Grupo Milenio noted that the Milenio newspaper published a report on Thursday about space debris that was found on Playa Bagdad, a beach in Tamaulipas just south of the border with Texas and the SpaceX Starbase rocket launch facility.
The Milenio article was published under the headline “Musk’s space debris places at risk the lives of animals and people in the north of Tamaulipas.”
In the article, Milenio reported that a metal tank was found on Playa Bagdad, adding that the device was “preliminarily identified” as a “pressurized tank with phosphorous remains.”
The newspaper said that the tank was part of the Super Heavy launch vehicle of the SpaceX Starship. SpaceX is majority-owned by Elon Musk, the company’s founder and CEO.
#OchoColumnas | Basura espacial de Musk pone en riesgo la vida de animales y personas… y le explota otro cohete 🚀
La inhalación o ingestión de este químico puede afectar órganos internos, en particular el hígado, los riñones y el sistema nervioso.https://t.co/Tlz8tCCXYX
— Milenio (@Milenio) June 19, 2025
“The phosphorous contained in the tank located in the Playa Bagdad area — especially in its white form — is highly reactive upon contact with oxygen and can cause severe skin injuries and represents an environmental risk,” Milenio reported.
“The inhalation or ingestion of this chemical can affect internal organs, particularly the liver, the kidneys and the nervous system. Even small quantities can be lethal if they enter the body. In addition, if it is not managed correctly, phosphorous can contaminate bodies of water and affect marine animals. Its degradation in natural environments is slow and dangerous,” Milenio said.
The tank, Milenio said, “has not been the only discovery” on the coast of northern Tamaulipas in recent weeks.
“In the past four weeks, hundreds of metal and plastic remains of various sizes have been swept by the tide from the Gulf of Mexico to the coast, after the ninth launch test of Musk’s aerospace company,” the newspaper said, referring to Starship’s test flight on May 27.
The “failure” of that test flight “has placed ecological balance at risk, threatening the lives of animal species and also people,” Milenio said.
Sheinbaum said she had seen the newspaper’s report.
“This morning I asked if it could be reviewed by the [government’s] Digital Agency,” she said, noting that the agency has responsibility for certain aerospace and telecommunications matters.
Sheinbaum said that the Environment Ministry and other ministries would also investigate.
She said that her government would report back when it was in a position to do so.
Mexico wants to sign a ‘global agreement’ with US ‘very soon’
Sheinbaum reiterated that she had a “very good” call with United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday while she was at the G7 Summit in Canada, which Trump left earlier than expected.
She also noted once again that she and Trump had agreed in principle on a “global agreement” between Mexico and the United States that covers migration, security and trade.
Sheinbaum spoke about the planned pact on Wednesday, although she referred to it as a “general agreement,” rather than a “global” one.
On Thursday, she said that “our objective” is for the agreement to be signed “very soon.”
“… It has to be soon,” she said before indicating that she was seeking the finalization of an agreement in coming months.
Sheinbaum didn’t say whether her government would insist on the removal of tariffs on Mexican steel, aluminum and cars as part of a “global agreement” between Mexico and the U.S., but it would be logical for it to do so.
‘I’m proud to represent Mexico’
A reporter asked the president what “emotions” she experienced while interacting with other world leaders at this week’s G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta.
“I think that the most important thing is to know that you’re representing Mexico,” Sheinbaum responded.
“This is not a personal issue. If you think it’s a personal issue, you have your head in the clouds,” she said.
“The most important thing here is that the president of Mexico represents our people, our culture, our history, our nation, our homeland and for that reason you have to be very proud,” Sheinbaum said.
“So I’m proud to represent Mexico. … The important thing is to hold Mexico’s name up high, always,” she said.
“So it’s not a personal issue, it’s the pride of representing our homeland, Sheinbaum said.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies ([email protected])
