The foreign-born population of Mexico — and Americans in particular — have been getting a lot of attention lately.

(Please don’t scold me for using the term “American.” I am aware that all people born in the Americas are technically Americans but right or wrong, most people refer to people born in the United States as Americans and I will do the same in this article.)

Some would say the fuse was first lit with foreigners complaining about local music on the beach in Mazatlán or others asking for “salsa que no pica.” Here in San Miguel de Allende, the tension is usually around foreigners complaining about the fireworks and the stress it causes on their dogs. Imagine for a moment a foreign-born population moving into the United States and complaining about how a local long-standing tradition negatively affected their dogs … How well would that go over?

Tensions, of course, have heated up recently with anti-gentrification protests in certain neighborhoods of Mexico City — as well as valid complaints about rapidly rising rents, English-language menus and increasingly bland salsas. But as is often the case in emotionally charged issues, facts and figures tend to be overlooked. So let’s take a minute to review some of them with respect to the foreign population and foreign visitors in Mexico.

Mexico has a population of 132 million people, of which an estimated 1.6 million are American, 400,000 are Canadian, and another several hundred thousand are from Central America, South America, Europe and the rest of the world. Reasonable estimates would be a maximum of 2.5 million foreign-born people in the country — less than 2% of the population. Americans make up around 1.2% of the population in Mexico.

For some perspective, the foreign-born population in the United States is now over 53 million or nearly 16% of the population. People of Mexican origin living in the United States make up almost 12% of the U.S. population. The foreign-born population in Canada is now 8.4 million or nearly 22% of the population. In other words, the foreign-born population in the United States is eight times more than Mexico’s while Canada’s is 11 times more. Other big countries with large economies in Europe also have significant foreign-born populations. To name a few, Germany’s foreign-born population is 21%, the United Kingdom’s is 17%, and in France it’s 14%.

A major influx of foreign-born residents does not come without its problems and challenges. We have seen first hand across the globe how a large inflow of foreigners (especially when it happens quickly) has caused problems with housing availability and costs, the labor market, and at times led to social issues. In many countries, a rightward move in politics has occurred, with anti-immigrant or closed border candidates increasingly winning elections. That being said, most would agree that immigrantion has a net positive affect on a country — due to everything from an influx of labor, an increase in GDP, and an increased richness of culture in everything from food to traditions to music. Imagine for a moment the U.K. without Indian food!

So let’s look specifically at Americans in Mexico. To begin with, they are spread out across the country. Even San Miguel de Allende, which has been “ground zero” for gringo-gentrification in Mexico for decades, is still less than 10% American. Think about that for a minute: The Mexican city with the highest percentage of Americans and a nearly 100 year history of American residents is still at only 10% … compared to the ENTIRE United States being 12% Mexican. The exact number of Americans living in Mexico City is difficult to estimate, but even if you take the very highest estimates, it is still far below one half of one percent of the city’s population!

But there’s another important aspect to the foreign-born population discussion, beyond the raw numbers: What impacts are the foreigners having? In the case of immigrants in the United States and Canada, most people would agree that they are often coming to work, earn more money and give a better life to their families. Arguments have been made that they are “taking jobs from locals,” but they tend to be quite weak and with little evidence. That being said, immigrants are likely suppressing wages in some areas and certain industries. They are also often putting a strain on everything from housing to schools to medical resources to government services. In other words, they provide a clear economic benefit, but also create some very real and difficult strains on local communities.

In the case of Americans and Canadians in Mexico, the vast majority historically have come to retire. They buy or rent a home and spend their retirement money locally. They are rarely taking the job of a local, and likely not putting a strain on public schools, public housing, government services, or public healthcare. They are certainly contributing to housing prices rising in many areas. They likely don’t pay any payroll or income taxes (as they often aren’t working) but they pay property taxes on their homes and IVA taxes on items that they buy.

I looked into the number of foreign tourists coming into the country as a percentage of total population to see if that might be part of what makes it “feel like” there are more foreigners in Mexico. In 2024, Mexico had nearly 45 million international tourists — 34% of the population. That compares to 72 million international tourists to the U.S., representing 21% of the population. Canada’s 2024 international tourist arrivals were almost 20 million, or 48% of the population. In Spain, which has experienced a backlash in tourism levels, the number of international tourists as a percentage of the total population is a whopping 193%! In the UK it is 61%, France 146% and Italy 116%. Based on this data, Mexico in comparison still receives a relatively low number of international tourists given the size of its population.

A final consideration and very important reality check — Mexico’s economy is not growing. In GDP growth it has underperformed compared to the U.S. for years, and current expectations for this year, 2026 and even 2027 are for flat growth at best. With tariff threats on Mexican-made goods and a U.S. push for reshoring of manufacturing in the U.S. (versus in Mexico), growth might even be negative for years to come.

In the wake of Trump’s tariff chaos, Mexico’s economy needs a rethink: A perspective from our CEO, Part 1

In a previous article, I argued that Mexico’s economy needs a rethink. I think a big part of that rethink needs to focus on how to attract significantly more foreigners (and yes, Americans) to the country to vacation, live, work and invest. A focused plan to attract two times more tourists and five times more foreign residents would have a hugely positive impact on Mexico in terms of investment and economic growth. This influx of foreigners most certainly would not come without its share of headaches, but an economy that has a large young population and no economic growth will have other significant issues. For those of you that disagree with my thinking here, what would you suggest to get the economy going again and improve living standards for many?

Mexico City based MND writer María Meléndez wrote the following in a recent article on gentrification in her neighborhoods: “I have seen how dedicated many foreigners are in their efforts to learn Spanish, integrate into our communities, show respect, and gain a better understanding of this country.”

Another side of the story: A Mexican perspective on gentrification

I think that is such an important point. As the foreign-born population coming to Mexico to live, work and vacation likely continues to grow, it will become more important than ever for them to take María’s comments seriously. For sure there will be issues — cost of living increases, being offered bland salsa options in restaurants, increasingly being asked if we have any allergy restrictions, and too many people (including myself) wearing shorts in the cities. That being said, I have no doubt that the net impact of a lot more Americans (and foreigners in general) in Mexico would be a positive one.

You can be assured that Mexico News Daily will do our part in helping these new arrivals better understand and respect the country and its wonderful people.

Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for nearly 30 years.

The post Maybe what Mexico needs is … more Americans? A perspective from our CEO appeared first on Mexico News Daily

This week, I want to highlight a group of Americans doing amazing volunteer work in San Miguel de Allende to help locals and build bridges between the two countries. I was fortunate enough to meet this group several months ago — a team of Americans from across the United States that make up the organization Kids First Orthopaedics (KFO).

I first connected with the organization through its leader, Dr. Billy Andrews. Dr. Billy is an orthopedic surgeon from Duke University in North Carolina who has practiced for nearly 50 years. Dr. Billy and his wife Peggy both love Mexico and have traveled to San Miguel de Allende since the year 2000. At that time, Billy was already a member of the organization and had done volunteer work in Colombia, Guatemala, El Salvador and Brazil. On this particular trip to Mexico, on the last day of vacation he met with a San Miguel woman who ran a local rehabilitation center for children with neurological impairments. He returned multiple times over the next three years to meet with local officials, and in 2005, Kids First relocated to San Miguel.

Out of that visit, Kids First Orthopaedics found a community willing to embrace the team and help them make an impact. Since that initial visit to San Miguel 25 years ago, the organization has come back every year to help thousands of local kids. I had the opportunity to see the KFO team in action at a local hospital here in San Miguel and recently had the chance to catch up with Dr. Billy to ask him some questions about their work.

Travis Bembenek: Tell us exactly what your team does?

Dr. Billy: Our focus is on children’s orthopedics. We treat kids with neck, back, arms, legs, hands and feet problems. Some of them need surgery, while others we can help in other ways.

Who makes up the team that does the work?

We have a core group of 30-plus orthopedic surgeons, anesthesiologists, physician assistants, nurses, therapists — the entire team needed to provide complete care to the kids. Many have been members of the team since the 1990s. This continuity allows us to work more efficiently and to enjoy long-standing relationships in our team, which has essentially become a big family.

So everyone involved is brought in from the United States?

No. Not at all. We also have over 100 local San Miguel volunteers that help make it all happen. Everyone ranging from local healthcare staff, translators, people that donate their homes for us to stay in, drivers who take us to the hospital — it’s one big bicultural, bilingual team effort.

Do you use local equipment?

We bring in from the U.S. all of the equipment and items we use. The local hospital (Hospital Joya) provides the space and local resources. We provide the equipment and the orthopedic team.

Explain how it works each year.

Each year the process consists of two separate trips, each of about 10 days. On the first trip, in May, we review and assess the kids in need. In that one week we see over 250 kids! Our orthopedic team then gets to work and does the surgery on those that need work to be done. (Some are still too young, or don’t need surgery.) On our May trip this year, we did a total of 105 operations on 43 kids. The second trip, which takes place in July, is for us to go back and review progress with each kid and do any follow up work needed.

So the members of your team take significant time off of work and miss several weekends from their families to do this volunteer work? It’s one thing to do it one time for one year, but another thing to do it year after year. That’s amazing.

We have an awesome team with wonderful people. They love doing it.

What an act of kindness and selflessness. Why do you think they do it?

The joy and satisfaction that our team gets in working together to help kids that otherwise likely would not have received care is a reward that is impossible to describe unless you have seen or experienced it first hand.

I actually went to the hospital in May and saw your team first hand in action. It was like a symphony, each team member knowing their part — where to go, what to do and how to do it. I saw them working with each other, with local staff and with kids. It was truly beautiful to observe the whole process of the team working together and the impact on the kids and their families.

That’s why we do it. Many of these families come in from rural areas in the countryside. We work to help them, give them hope, and correct their problems or at least make life more manageable for them.

You and your wife didn’t have any direct connection to Mexico or Mexicans. Why do this here?

Mexicans are our friends, our colleagues, our neighbors. They have an enormous impact on the United States. This is our small way of helping to have an impact on the people of Mexico and their country.

You have been doing this for many years. How will you ensure that the work continues when you ultimately step down?

We have an incredible team that is totally committed to our cause. We have already incorporated the next generation of KFO team members, many much younger, that are stepping up to ensure that the work of our organization continues long after I am gone.

Seeing the work of the Kids First Orthopaedics team first hand was touching, inspiring and motivating. While there, I was able to follow the progress of a young boy, probably 8 years old, being worked on by the team. I saw him carted to the recovery area in his bed, patently waiting and resting. After a few minutes, his mother came in and stood next to me. The boy saw his mom and gave her a thumbs up and a big smile. It brought tears to the eyes of both of us. As I wiped my eyes, a little embarrassed, Dr. Billy said to me with a smile, “I’m so glad you are here to see this.”

Check out this video to see the great work and great people of Kids First Orthopaedics:

And remember, as evidenced by Dr. Billy and his team, regardless of how you feel about the current policies of the U.S. government towards Mexico, there is always something that you as an individual can do to make a positive impact on our Mexican friends and neighbors.

Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for nearly 30 years.

The post Americans making a positive impact in Mexico: Our CEO talks with Dr. Billy Andrews of Kids First Orthopaedics appeared first on Mexico News Daily

This anger is manifesting itself here in Mexico in different places and in different ways. I have recently seen “Gringo Go Home” graffiti in multiple cities in Mexico. The recent anti-gentrification protest in Mexico City drew a lot of attention to the impact of Americans increasingly coming to the city to live or vacation. A recent poll by Pew Research shows that the percentage of Mexicans who view the U.S. negatively has skyrocketed from 31% to 69% in just the past few months. Even here at MND, a day hardly goes by without our team receiving a request to invoice in either Mexican pesos or Canadian dollars — people are so angry that they don’t even want to pay in USD!

The “golden cage” of San Miguel de Allende: A local perspective on gentrification in the worlds best city

When I talk to Mexicans about their thoughts on the United States and its citizens right now, they are often quick to share their feelings. Whether it be the topic of tariffs, deportations, taxes on remittances or the border wall, there is real sadness, disappointment, anger and even fear. Most Mexicans feel that they have been an important part of the U.S. — historically, economically and culturally — and right now they feel that their neighbor is letting them down (to put it mildly).

So what can us Americans do? Whether you’re living in Mexico, traveling to Mexico for work or vacation, or even staying in your home country, here are a few thoughts.

1. Be mindful of media and “expert” biases. I have seen multiple U.S. news reports attempting to compare the anti-gentrification protests in Mexico City to what ICE is doing in the United States with Mexicans. In other words, dramatically oversimplifying the issue and trying to create the false narrative that in both countries, they want foreigners out. That simply isn’t true in either country but it does, of course, lead to fear in the U.S. community that they might be unsafe in Mexico or the victims of violence against them. I have even heard “Mexico experts” (consultants based in CDMX and Washington, D.C.) mentioning a potential “black swan event” of violence in Mexico against Americans. We as consumers of information have to be more alert than ever that the motivations of these news organizations and consultants are different than ours. They are looking for more views, more clicks, or more consulting gigs. Genuinely informing or educating you is not their objective. In their minds, fear sells — and fear means more business for them.

2. Understand that you are an ambassador of your home country. The way you talk, the way you treat others, the way you listen, the amount you tip, the effort you make to speak a little Spanish or smile when asking if the other person speaks English — all are a reflection of not only you, but also your home country. Now more than ever it is important to be cognizant of this and aware of the weight and impact of your actions. This isn’t to say that you should change who you are or how you act, but it is to say that you would be foolish to not think that you are being observed and analyzed now more than ever. What do I mean by that? I think many Mexicans are genuinely hurt by what the U.S. is doing to them right now. As a result, through what in many cases are limited interactions with Americans, many Mexicans are trying to assess how much of that pain to credit to the U.S. government versus average U.S. citizens. Your actions will directly shape how that person makes that assessment.

3. Make an extra effort to make a positive impact on Mexico and its people, one interaction at a time. What does this mean? It can mean any of a million different things. If you don’t travel to Mexico, it might mean doing things like buying Mexican products in your local grocery store — like fruit, vegetables, beer or tequila. It might mean supporting local Mexican businesses in your community, knowing that a portion of your purchase is very likely being sent back to Mexico in the form of remittances to support family members. If you are a vacationer in Mexico, it might mean not cancelling your trip based on the fear mongering that you saw on the news. It might mean prioritizing Mexico for your next vacation. If you are a person that does business in Mexico, it might mean staying the course on your planned investments or new hire decisions despite the near constant economic noise being created.

In summary, it means being aware that your actions can either help counteract or help reinforce the perceptions Mexicans have of U.S. citizens. It’s more important now than ever to show Mexico, and the world, who we are as individual Americans.

For some people, that means making a real sacrifice and commitment of time, experience and money. Read my article next week as I profile a group of U.S.-based medical professionals doing incredible volunteer work in Mexico, one small child at a time. It is a story that is guaranteed to inspire you!

Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for nearly 30 years.

The post With Mexicans feeling let down by the United States, what can YOU do about it? A perspective from our CEO appeared first on Mexico News Daily

I have mixed feelings about the foreign community living in the city. On one hand, I believe that having foreigners live in San Miguel has enriched the community enormously. But I also feel deep sadness at not being able to imagine the house of my dreams in San Miguel because the costs are extremely high. So are food, services and other products that you  find cheaper elsewhere. In some ways, living in San Miguel is like living in a golden cage. 

Gentrification in San Miguel has pros and cons alike. Let’s delve into them.

The negative

Displacement of traditions

Those of us who live in San Miguel know the tradition of Friday of Sorrows, the Friday before Holy Week, when owners of San Miguel’s houses open their doors to the public, set up an altar dedicated to the Virgin of Sorrows and give visitors flavored water, popsicles and ice cream. But every year, I have watched as fewer and fewer houses set up their altars downtown. 

The typical altars I remember from my childhood have gradually disappeared. Why? Because San Miguel natives no longer live downtown. The people who live there now are foreigners who do not participate in these traditions. San Miguel natives, displaced to neighborhoods and areas farther from the center, have taken the city’s classic traditions with them.

Racism from Mexicans towards Mexicans

Although foreigners are not to blame for this, but rather the Mexican mentality of inferiority, I have witnessed countless times racism or bad treatment of Mexicans by other Mexicans, and the preference some have for foreigners, especially in restaurants where they prefer to serve foreigners rather than their own people. Sometimes I feel that some Mexicans perceive ourselves as second-class and that foreigners are at a higher level — perhaps because the idea of a caste system is still deeply rooted in our subconscious.

Exorbitant housing prices

This is what annoys me most about how beautiful and popular San Miguel is: housing prices have skyrocketed. Outside real estate offices, it’s normal to see house listings priced in millions of dollars. It’s unthinkable to imagine that, with my Mexican salary, I could afford a house in the city I grew up in. The saddest part of this reality is that those houses once belonged to the grandparents of someone I know. It was once normal to go to your aunt’s house two blocks away, but now most people living downtown are foreigners, and San Miguel natives are increasingly displaced to small, expensive homes on the city’s outskirts. All I ask of the government and developers is to create nice, nearby, and affordable subdivisions for San Miguel’s middle class.

Foreigners who do not adapt

San Miguel is a city full of festivities: fireworks here, noise there, music and dancing everywhere, especially during the feast of Saint Michael, the famous Alborada. Many foreigners enjoy and take part in this excitement, but others don’t adapt and complain about the noise. Without its fiestas, San Miguel would lose its identity and essence. Rather than complain, I think foreigners who decide to live in San Miguel should learn why there is that noise and the meaning of the festivals.

Along the same lines, some people have not adapted to Mexican culture. Many expect things to be done exactly — or very similarly — as in their home countries, but Mexico is a completely different country from the U.S. or the countries of Europe when it comes to bureaucracy. I’m not saying I love it; there are many things I wish were different, but you can’t get upset because things aren’t done exactly how you expect. Mexico teaches you patience, enjoying the journey, and slowing down. My recommendation is that before deciding to live in Mexico, you get to know it and accept it — with all its positives and negatives.

“Se habla español”

Since I was a child, I wondered, why do Mexicans have to learn English to communicate with foreigners in our country if we live in Mexico and speak Spanish? Speaking English opens doors worldwide and because it is the lingua franca of our times, but it strikes me that we as Mexicans make a great effort to communicate with foreigners in English, and even feel ashamed if we don’t speak it well, while a percentage of foreigners living in San Miguel don’t even make the minimum effort to learn Spanish — and instead get upset and frustrated if you don’t speak English to understand them. Friends, the least you can do if you are in this country is to learn some basic Spanish to communicate with your neighbor or market vendors. With MND Tutor, you can learn easily and in a fun way. I’m sure that by learning Spanish you will discover a new and interesting worldview.

There are also positive aspects of foreigners concentrating in San Miguel, and this community has made important contributions to the city.

The positive

Rentals and businesses benefit from foreigners

On the one hand, I complain about the high housing prices, but on the other, I see that the sale and rental of houses have benefited hundreds of San Miguel natives, including my family, which has rented a house to Americans for more than 20 years and thanks to that rent, my three siblings and I were able to cover university expenses. Those who invest in restaurants, hotels, rent their houses, offer their services have benefited from the arrival of foreigners to the city and helped the economy move.

New festivals

Some traditions have been displaced, like Friday of Sorrows, but others are born from the union of Mexicans and foreigners, like the GIFF film festival, initiated by Sarah Hoch, a foreigner residing in San Miguel. I have practically grown up with this festival, and since I was little, I remember the excitement of watching open-air films. Participating in this festival allowed me to meet film directors from other countries at El Gato Negro — a famous bar in San Miguel — watch short films and feature films that inspired me to create art as well, and discover very interesting projects. There are also music festivals like Jazz & Blues, the Chamber Music Festival, Opera San Miguel, organized by foreigners or Mexicans from other parts of Mexico, enriching those who enjoy them.

Newcomers promote arts and culture

As I mentioned before, San Miguel has benefited from foreigners living here by having various festivals, but not only that — it has become an art mecca. This city attracts many artists, some more well-known than others, such as Joy Laville, an English artist, Leonora Carrington, Leonard and Reva Brooks, and Mexican artists like Rufino Tamayo, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and Diego Rivera. What city in the world can boast of having seen such figures pass through at different times? It is very inspiring to see galleries everywhere, streets with beautiful murals, and cultural events everywhere.

The generosity of foreigners crosses borders

The vast majority of foreign residents in San Miguel are retired Americans and Canadians who come to Mexico for a second lease on life. With enough time and resources, they have created dozens of nonprofit organizations that help those in need, such as Patronato Pro Niños, which offers medical, dental, and psychological services to low-income children. Or the Special Education School of San Miguel de Allende (EEESMA), which provides quality education to children with hearing problems.

Recently, I met Dr. Billy Williams from Kids First Orthopaedics, and I was moved to hear what he does for children born with orthopedic problems. A group of volunteer doctors comes twice a year from the United States to treat and operate on children born with malformations, transforming their lives forever.

The Biblioteca Pública A.C. is another clear example of foreigners supporting the San Miguel community. Helen Wale, a foreign resident of San Miguel, found that the city needed a library, so she decided to found one. This library has operated for over 70 years with the help of foreign and Mexican volunteers who give their time, money and effort to keep it running. And it isn’t just a library—it also offers art workshops, English classes, scholarships for youth and children, and many recreational activities.

San Miguel’s prominence as an arts center has much to do with the fact that in the 20th century, the American Stirling Dickinson promoted art in San Miguel together with Felipe Cossio del Pomar, a Peruvian. Simply put, the city would not be the same without the collaboration of all these foreigners and many others who have been part of the city’s history.

Mexico News Daily

I have a job thanks to foreigners in San Miguel. Travis and Tamanna Bembenek decided to come here and invest in a newspaper whose mission is to show how incredible Mexico is. Without these foreigners, I probably wouldn’t be enjoying life with my family here; I would instead be in a big city as part of my career. It is an honor for me to be part of this project that highlights the most beautiful aspects of Mexico, teaching that Mexico is not just violence and drugs but culture, tradition, good people, investments, joy, family, unity, gastronomy, and many things that make me proud to be Mexican.

Without a doubt, San Miguel de Allende is what it is thanks to its people. Mexicans from Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara, Querétaro and León. Foreigners from the United States, Canada, Spain, England, China and Germany. We all make this small place the best city in the world. Everyone is welcome — you just have to open your eyes and connect with the city that hosts you.

María Ruiz is the Director of Digital Marketing at Mexico News Daily. She enjoys photographing her hometown of San Miguel de Allende in her spare time.

The post The ‘golden cage’ of San Miguel de Allende: A local perspective on gentrification in the world’s best city appeared first on Mexico News Daily

As I met more people who have traveled the peninsula, I increasingly heard that the most special parts of Baja are Cabo Pulmo and the areas further north from La Paz. Time and time again I was told stories about the amazing wildlife, the epic beaches, the beautiful mountains and the lack of crowds. Given that my wife and I love nature travel, it was always high on our “next place to go” list. But given the aversion that we have to driving too much on a vacation, we would look at the driving distances and ultimately decide to go elsewhere. It took my college buddy Eric and his family to finally convince us to join them on an adventure up the peninsula to explore these areas. And so a few weeks ago, we did.

We started out with several days in Cabo Pulmo, leaving the comfy confines of paved roads, chain grocery stores and fancy restaurants in Cabo San Lucas and heading out on the dirt road (highway?) leading up the coast along the Sea of Cortez, on the eastern side of the peninsula. Within minutes of leaving the tourist corridor and San Jose del Cabo, things change very quickly. The road becomes unpaved, dusty and curvy, with an occasional burro to avoid hitting. The sweeping views of the sea invite you to stop at random beaches to take it all in. There is almost nobody to be seen.

Cabo Pulmo was a surprise — absolutely full of wildlife despite being less than a two-hour drive from the big cities. You would expect it to be much bigger but in fact, it’s tiny. Forget about the food or lodging quality. Here, it’s all about the wildlife — and we were not disappointed. On our one full day there we spent almost every minute in the ocean swimming with and admiring the marine life. In that one day we swam with dolphins, sharks, moray eels, sea lions, turtles, giant schools of jackfish and countless tropical fish. We have snorkeled around the world and this was one of the very best days ever, hands down.

Our time in La Paz was quick as we had all been there several times before. Just enough time for a nice dinner and lovely evening stroll on the packed malecón and then a few hours at Balandra beach the next morning. And then it was on to Loreto and points further north.

Loreto is famous for the oldest mission in the “Californias” (including Baja California and Baja California Sur in Mexico and the U.S. state of California). Its beautiful beaches and dramatic mountains are also legendary. I had seen pictures and heard stories of the beauty and it most certainly does not disappoint. Our first day in Loreto was a special one, not because of the mission, the beaches or the mountains, but rather some great encounters with locals.

Prior to the trip, a friend from San Diego had told me that I had to meet some people — Linda and Tony — in Loreto when I was there. So I reached out and they invited me to a special event that was going to be happening in town our first full day there. That day started with me going to an inauguration of a new center for children from troubled families called Casa Hogar de Esperanza. After arriving at the center and marking my hand print on the entryway wall, I sat down and listened to the presentation of the volunteers and donors who made the day possible.

There were sad stories of the kids — aged 4-8 — who needed to come to the center after courts ordered their removal from their homes, mixed with absolutely beautiful and inspiring stories of the volunteers and donors committed to giving the kids a peaceful, stable place to get back on track. The event ended with the kids being let into the new center — with each one finding their bed with a personalized water bottle and stuffed animal. The young kids had already been through so much, and yet this simple gesture left them screaming with joy and excitement. It was an incredibly touching moment.

The newly elected mayor of Loreto was there. I spent time talking to her about her priorities for the city. She started by saying “this right here,” meaning the kids and the people of Loreto. She then brought up an unexpected topic: tires. She said that lots of people need cars in the city due to the lack of public transportation. That, combined with less than ideal road conditions, lead to a lot of used and discarded tires.

She said that historically the city and surrounding areas had a tire disposal problem and that the tires ultimately ending up being discarded all over town and even in the ocean. She proudly told me that this week, the first shipment of 1,200 used tires — enough to fill an entire semi-trailer — is going from Loreto to a tire recycling plant near that U.S.-Mexico border. She was passionate about the project and the positive impact on the city and said that they hoped to send a shipment every month or two. Who would have thought tires would be on the mind of the mayor.

After that conversation, I went to see the Eco-Alianza NGO offices in downtown Loreto. Eco-Alianza is the creation of Linda and Tony Kinninger, long time residents of Loreto originally from Southern California. Tony first came to Loreto over 50 years ago and both him and Linda are passionate about the area. Equally enthralled by the raw natural beauty of the area and concerned about the lack of rules, regulations and customs to protect it, they decided to do something about it.

Out of this love for the area and desire to protect it, Eco-Alianza was born over a decade ago. The organization is focused on education, awareness and impact on the natural resources in and around Loreto. They give classes in every school, at every grade level about the importance of recycling, protecting the environment and respecting nature. The children in turn help change the behaviors of their parents and family members. One class at a time, Eco-Alianza is helping create a culture that recognizes that responsible tourism and development can be a driver of economic growth for the city.

The organization also does water quality sampling and testing and yes, turtle population surveys. The highlight of the tour was a presentation done by every member of the organization on the mission, purpose and activities of each person. The passion and commitment they displayed for their causes was inspiring. I thanked them all for choosing a career with an impact much bigger than just themselves. A group of college kids from Notre Dame University was there doing a project on water. It was like one big family. You can learn more about the great work that Eco-Alianza does on their website.

Many facets of modern day life can be quite troubling. We are constantly innundated with negative news about politics, the economy, climate change, wars, mental health problems, AI existential risks … the list goes on and on and on. It can be both depressing and paralizing — what can we do on a small scale when there are so many big problems? My trip up the Baja coast and short time in Loreto gave me insight into what is likely part of the answer. Whether it be kids, tires or nature, just pick something you are passionate about and believe you can make an impact on — then work hard to make it happen!

Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for nearly 30 years.

The post Kids, tires and turtles: Our CEO’s whirlwind tour of Loreto in Baja California Sur appeared first on Mexico News Daily

On the other hand, there are forms of longer form content that are thriving. The Atlantic magazine is a great example, and The New York Times and Wall Street Journal both often have longer-form, deep-dive articles that make for a fascinating read. Many long-form podcasts also are doing well. So what makes long-form content successful in a world increasingly built for speed? The answer: content that doesn’t just add words, but also depth, perspective, and a compelling experience.

People clearly have shorter attention spans than ever, but the right content can still command one’s attention for a long time. What to do? Understanding that each day a reader’s content attention span might be different, the team at MND is focused on developing the following:

Option 1: If you want to read only the headlines, you can get that from our daily newsletter.

Option 2: If you want a clear, concise news story, you get that in our regular content in our daily articles. Our editorial team works hard to have the best “readability” of each article, with subtitles and check-in points to make each article easier to understand more quickly.

Option 3 (NEW): We are just starting to publish longer-form, deep-dive journalism articles.

Why do we want to do this? I’m sure most of you would agree that long-form journalism can be deeply rewarding, informative and enlightening. Think about how much more information and context you get out of a long-form podcast, or a 20-minute video on a topic versus a very quick summary. Not only do you learn more, but through a deeper dive into a topic and increased understanding on an issue, I would contend that you can improve your empathy, emotional intelligence and critical thinking skills. Finally, reading a longer-form article can help rebuild focus and concentration — important skills which I’m sure you would agree are under a contant threat due to social media.

The MND team has worked hard to improve our shorter form local, regional, and national content, but it’s become clear that some topics just need more depth to fully understand and appreciate them.

Take the Mexico City subway for example. The metro is an absolutely fascinating microcosm of Mexico City and the country as a whole. You can better understand the history, culture, food, commerce, and the people by spending time underground. MND chief staff writer Peter Davies, who has visited every one of Mexico City’s 163 subway stations, spent many hours on the lines talking to people to give him the depth and perspective to write about the metro system. Here’s the first installment of his three-part series:

Art in transit: How Mexico City’s metro doubles as a museum

Another topic that requires a deeper dive is the aspect of Mexico culture regarding street protests — especially by school teachers. To help understand the reasons behind the protests, an MND reporter actually went into the protests, spending time in the CDMX Zócalo talking to the protestors to understand their motivations and logic behind the demonstrations. Whether you support the protestors or not, they ultimately end up impacting us through their actions. See that article here:

Street protests in the capital: A timeless feature of life in Mexico

Most of us know that a large asteroid hit the earth and ended the dinosaur age. But did you know that the asteroid hit in what is present day Mexico? And did you know that up until recently, most people didn’t even know that it had hit in Mexico? MND writer Bob Pateman dug deep into the history and research to bring you the fascinating story.

The day the world ended

Mexico has had a number of wars throughout its history. Did you know that Mexico once fought Texas and the Yucatan? Pateman once again brings us the intriguing tale.

When Mexico fought Texas and Yucatán

And at one point in 1847, the U.S. military made it all the way into Mexico City. A group of “Heroic Boy” soldiers wrapped themselves in the Mexican flag rather than surrounder to the Americans. It’s a story that has inspired countless statues across the country — but is it true? MND did a deep dive to learn more.

Were these Mexican-American War heroes real?

The idea of migration and reverse migration issue is a complex one. What are the motivations? What is inspiring (or forcing) some Mexicans living in the U.S. and Mexican Americans to move to Mexico? Rocio Lucero brings us their stories in the “My American Dream is in Mexico” series. Here is the latest one:

My American Dream is in Mexico: Fernando Reyes 

We have a lot more coming soon. For example, beyond the headlines, what should we make of the current issues facing CIBanco and Intercam? How will it affect account holders? How should we analyze and understand what is going on? Stay tuned for more on this rapidly evolving story soon.

Another example of deep dive content coming soon is regarding salaries in Mexico. Many expats have little knowledge or understanding of the pay that Mexicans receive in most professions. We will look at examples in the lower, middle, and upper classes to help you understand the economic realities — both the challenges and the opportunities — that different people across the country face.

Every day the amount of time each of us can dedidicate to news reading is different. We get that. That’s why the team at MND is working to bring you different options based on the time and the level of interest you have. Please share your feedback with us on how you think we are doing on striking this balance.

Thank you for reading MND. Our team is working hard to get better each and every day!

Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for nearly 30 years.

The post Is long-form journalism dead? A perspective from our CEO appeared first on Mexico News Daily

It’s common to hear that AI will bring about a golden age of productivity, innovation, economic growth and prosperity. It is also quite common to hear that it could create massive disruption in the employment market and even potentially be a risk to the survival of humanity. That’s quite a wide range of potential outcomes!

It’s easy to feel anxiety with such disparate projections — and everything seems to be moving forward so quickly. It feels as if the discussion quickly went from “We need to slow down and understand the impacts of this technology to society,” to “We need to move faster than ever to make sure that American AI beats out Chinese AI.” We are increasingly hearing the question asked: “Do you prefer to have the world and your life run on Chinese AI or American AI?”

Most of what is coming feels out of our control … as if the train has left the station and we just need to hang on for what promises to be a very wild, unpredictable ride.  That being said, there are in fact many things that we as individuals CAN control, and the team at MND is committed to doing our small part on what we can to be a part of potential solutions.

We strongly believe that it is more important than ever to make wanting to stay smart a top priority. What do I mean by that? The algorithms of the big tech companies increasingly are developing products that make us dumber. Take social media for example — it’s way too easy to be intellectually lazy on platforms like X, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. The algorithms of these companies just keep feeding us what we want to see and hear, with the primary objective being to keep us engaged on the platform for as long as possible. Social media is great for a laugh, to make us smile or to watch a cool video of something, but I don’t think many of us feel like we walk away from a long bout of social media use feeling smarter. Entertained, yes. Enlightened, very rarely.

We believe that AI is very quickly ushering in an era in which it is becoming even easier to be lazy and ultimately become … yes, dumber. AI can be great to get us a quick answer to a question, but at what point are we outsourcing too much of our brain to the brains of companies like X, Meta and TikTok? And shouldn’t that question concern all of us?

So how do we fight this cognitive laziness? How do we exercise our minds when AI increasingly can do so much of the heavy lifting? The most powerful tool we have is one of the oldest: reading. Not just skimming headlines or accepting AI-generated summaries, but engaging deeply with text. Reading builds the mental muscles AI can’t replicate: critical thinking, contextual understanding, and the ability to form a nuanced worldview. It’s how we move from simply knowing a fact to truly understanding an issue.

I believe that the answer lies in part to consciously, deliberately making wanting to stay smart something we value. The team at MND obviously already believes in the importance of reading and staying well-informed. But we also have recently launched several new products for those that take the risks of AI to our brains seriously:

1. MND Quiz: We now have a weekly news quiz that quickly and easily tests you on the past week’s top stories. It’s one thing to scroll through a news headline on social media in seconds, it’s entirely different to honestly assess our depth of reading, understanding, and retention of the content. MND Quiz provides a quick, fun way to do that.

MND Quiz of the week 21/06

2. MND Tutor: Countless studies have shown that learning another language is great for our brain. Sure, AI can increasingly translate everything in real time for us — but is that really the world we want to live in? When I first learned Spanish, I found that reading news articles was a highly effective way to accelerate my progress. Why? The articles are timely, relevant, and as a result provide great real life examples of content that can be easily practiced with Spanish speakers. For those reasons, our team has created a weekly MND Tutor in which we select an article and create a Spanish language lesson, complete with test questions to measure your learning retention. Best of all, we have beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels of each lesson so you can find the right tutor for your current level. Duolingo is great, but I am certain that you will find MND Tutor to be a Spanish language accelerator!

3. MND AI Search: This is an application of AI that we think can really accelerate your learning about Mexico. Over the past 11 years, our team has written over 25,000 articles of content. That is a massive amount of information on just about anything you would like to know about Mexico. That being said, our previous on site search bar, like that of many websites, wasn’t very good at going back and reviewing our archives of content to get you exactly the information you wanted. We are excited to announce that we very recently incorporated Perplexity AI into MND’s search bar. What does this mean for you? It means you can ask the MND search bar on our site literally anything you want to know about Mexico and it will quickly give you the answer to your question along with the most relevant links to MND articles to read. It’s an awesome tool. Check it out and I’m certain that you will be amazed!

Humanity is quickly moving into a new era in which AI is going to be able to do just about anything for us — including much of what we currently use our brain for. The team at MND is united in wanting to stay smart and is excited to be providing you with new tools to help those of you that want to do the same.

In an age of quickly generated artificial answers, we will need to actively challenge ourselves not to just consume information, but also challenge it, question it, and build our own understanding and opinions. So commit to reading at least one in-depth article a day. Search for content that offers a different perspective. Use these MND tools not just as products, but as part of your own personal gym for the mind. A key skill in the future is not just going to be learning what AI can do for us; but also determining what we choose to continue doing for ourselves.

Thank you for subscribing to MND and for supporting the work we do.

Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for nearly 30 years.

The post How do we make sure that AI doesn’t make us dumber? A perspective from our CEO appeared first on Mexico News Daily

First came the tariffs, in defiance of the free trade agreement between the U.S., Mexico and Canada. An agreement that has been very successful on almost any metric and was in fact updated and ratified in the first Trump term. Then, the Trump administration proposed a 5% tax on all remittances that immigrants (regardless of their legal status) would have to pay on money sent back to family members in their home country. To many, this “double taxation” felt unnecessary and cruel. And of course, more recently, it has been the immigration enforcement (ICE) raids on immigrants that have been steadily ramping up in frequency and intensity.

Any remittance tax is ‘absolutely unjust,’ Sheinbaum says, after US House lowers proposed tax to 3.5%

It’s important to remember that we were told that the initial focus of the ICE arrests was going to be on, to use Trump’s words, “the murderers, the rapists, the gangsters, the bad hombres, the criminals.” Trump told us that there were many of them, and his administration emphasized that they would be the primary focus of ICE activities. But apparently it has not been easy enough or fast enough, or perhaps there are not as many of them as initially thought. And so here we are, now watching cars burn, rocks thrown, and rubber bullets shot in Los Angeles and other major cities across the nation.

The civil unrest has been painful to watch. I have read news outlets from across the political spectrum as well as watched both Fox News and CNN to see how they were covering the events. CNN has seemed focused on boosting its ratings by embedding reporters into the protests as if they were in the middle of a war, with cameras trained on the militarized police force, National Guard members, or injured protestors. Fox News has focused on continuously showing the same footage of cars burning or rocks being thrown, all the while feeding the narrative that the local government has lost control and that anti-American immigrant anarchists intent on destroying America are behind the protests.

Neither network seems to be focused on actually educating and informing viewers with facts. Neither network is trying to calm the situation. Neither network is trying to do what’s best for the country.

And then we have our leadership. In just the past few days, we have seen Senator Ted Cruz post a picture from Minneapolis in 2020, falsely claiming it was an example of the “not-peaceful protests” taking place in Los Angeles. We have seen Homeland Security Chief Kristy Noem claim — from the Oval Office and with zero evidence — that Mexican President Sheinbaum has been “deliberately inciting violence” in the protests. We have seen President Trump post that California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass should be apologizing to the people of Los Angeles for “the horrible jobs that they have done” and thanking Trump for “saving Los Angeles.” We have heard reports of the White House pressuring ICE agents to increase their numbers to 3,000 arrests per day — effectively insisting on a quota of arrests. The situation has been made more complicated with what have been real (or perceived — depending on your point of view) examples of weak leadership by Ms. Bass and Mr. Newsom during the recent California wildfires. It’s also of note that many senior Democratic party leaders have been quiet.

Noem accuses Sheinbaum of ‘encouraging violent protests’ in LA: Tuesday’s mañanera recapped

This week I interviewed Tatiana Cloutier, the head of the newly created Institute of Mexicans abroad (IMME). She spoke at length of the stories of fear that are permeating the Mexican community throughout the United States. People are afraid to go out at night. People are afraid to go to work. People are afraid to send money to family back home. Parents are afraid to send kids to school. I was just in the Chicago area a few weeks ago and visited a largely Mexican immigrant school district and heard loud and clear from teachers and administrators that fear is pervasive amongst the kids.

I do not support illegal immigration. I do not support the Biden administration having allowed millions of immigrants to pour into the U.S. over such a short period of time. Many people are rightly angry about what was allowed to happen. The country has a genuinely complicated situation to resolve. But I cannot support the U.S. government instigating and provoking fear amongst its residents — regardless of their legal status.

I felt compelled to write this as I have always believed in American exceptionalism and the values we embody. I have also seen first hand how the world has looked up to the U.S. for being the protector of friends and feared by enemies. As an American, it is painful to see that increasingly no longer being the case. I strongly believe that at this point, we must speak up. How can we sit quietly watching the U.S. federal government rule by fear and intimidation?

The U.S. Constitution enshrines fundamental principles that have made America exceptional: popular sovereignty, individual rights and human dignity. Our founding document establishes that government derives “its just powers from the consent of the governed” and protects individual liberty through checks and balances. These are not mere words — they represent the revolutionary idea that all people possess inherent worth and deserve respect.

It’s easy to oversimplify or demonize the immigrant community, and although most of them are in the country legally, many are not. We need to remember that many of those in the U.S. legally have an uncle,  grandma, cousin or friend that is in the country illegally. Is it right to instill fear into the entire immigrant community? Let’s not forget that the vast majority of these people, regardless of their immigration status, are embedded in the fabric of our communities. They work for us and with us. They go to our schools, our churches, our grocery stores and our department stores. Their hard work helps many of us live better lives, and with a higher standard of living, in countless ways.

I would hope that we can stand together on what should be basic concepts that we can all agree on:

• Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.
• The initial focus must be on real criminals.
• Arrest quotas are unacceptable.
• The lines of state and local authority to deal with protests must be respected.
• Immigration reform is more urgent than ever.

Even if you believe that every single illegal immigrant in the country should ultimately be sent back to their home country, we should at least agree that the process should be done with a basic level of dignity and respect. Respect and dignity for our fellow community members. If you agree with that, how can we stay quiet when, in many cases, respect and dignity is clearly not being given?

I will leave you with a quote from Martin Luther King Jr.

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for nearly 30 years.

The post My thoughts on the US protests: A perspective from our CEO appeared first on Mexico News Daily

Coca-Cola receives an incredible amount of positive attention and market reinforcement, actually, given the amount of harm they do.

I mean, there’s quite a bit to say about it negatively. It’s bad for us, which we all know: bad for our teeth, bad for our bodies. It’s too big: You’ve got at least a 50% chance that the drink you buy at a tiendita is made by the Coca-Cola company. It’s also, as we know, a big, big consumer of natural resources, particularly water.

Coca-Cola is a favorite worldwide villain. “The dark waters of imperialism,” some say. So it’s nice to see that they’re at least putting on a show of behaving.

Honestly, I have my doubts, unless the government truly does stay on top of them. I’m sure the government’s intentions are to do just that, but you’ve got to admit, there’s always a lot of competition for our top officials’ attention.

Still, I’ll concede to Coca-Cola that they have done some good things to make up for, well, their existence in the first place. According to the article cited above, it’s helped establish water collection systems in over 700 schools, for example.

Well, good. We’ve certainly all given them enough money to get all kinds of infrastructure off the ground. But the company’s number one priority is not to “do good.” It’s to make money and stay in business — to keep making more money — which is the purpose of any company.

And this company’s profits depend directly on its access to natural resources.

Now, before we go on, a disclaimer: I’ve had many an angry commenter at this paper accuse me of being a socialist. And I am! I claim it. My lifetime has been one gigantic museum of the results when guardrails meant to keep people safe from unbridled capitalism are removed.

Pay a living wage? Ha! Benefits? Pensions? Triple ha! Getting corporations to protect the natural environment they rely on extracting from to make a profit is even more laughable. And believe me, you haven’t felt power until you’ve threatened a major company’s ability to make money.

Remember that Joni Mitchell song? “They took all the trees / and put ’em in a tree museum / Then they charged the people / a dollar and a half just to see ’em.” For companies like Coca-Cola, privatizing access to natural resources and then selling it back to us mixed with delicious, addictive poison is literally their business model.

And oh God, are we addicted. Mexicans love Coke. I love Coke. It’s like an abusive boyfriend I can’t stay away from. None of us can, actually: Mexico has the highest per-capita average consumption in the world at a whopping 160 liters per year! Being saved from ourselves is literally the only way at this point.

MLK Jr. was right: “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”

In other words, the powers that be don’t spontaneously decide to behave; they have to be forced.

I was heartened to read about, then, the National Water Plan, which aims to do precisely that. Among the actions are:

• A review of the water concessions (rights to specific sources of water) with the aim of taking back what’s not being used. For a truly chilling look at how much water private corporations use in Mexico City, have a look here.
• An inspection program to help detect “illegal, improper, and wasteful” use of water. Honestly, I’m not sure how this part is going to work. Will going to authorities be more effective than all the other times one might go to the authorities? But, hey, I’m prepared to be surprised.
• Changing the law to ensure that water concessions can’t be sold. “You are not allowed to make this water that’s for everyone into a business” seems pretty fair to me.
• New irrigation technology to ensure that the vast amount of water needed for agriculture is used as intelligently as possible.
• Infrastructure projects like dams and aqueducts. If they’d asked me, I’d have said “Plus, let’s have government subsidies for all housing units in the country to install water catchment systems, please, please, please!” They haven’t asked me, but I’m ready if they do.
• Cleanup initiatives, with special focus on the water supplies we have now that could use a good scrubbing.

One of the things I love about Mexico is that it’s not afraid to make institutions that exist solely to make a profit mad. It begins on principle and goes from there.

It starts at the most basic values: “Should our most precious resource, which rains from the sky, only belong to those who pay for it?”

Obviously, the answer is no. Water is a human right, period.

It grows from there. “Are there any parties taking more than their fair share of water, leaving others without?” Oh, yes.

So, good for Claudia for bringing this issue to the forefront.

If there’s anything that you shouldn’t have to have money to get, it’s water. What will they want to start charging for next — air?

That’s a joke, but I feel pretty certain that if it were possible, someone would do it.

In the meantime, I think we’re off to a good start. In this crazy world, it heartens me to see some governments acting logically and for the greater good rather than the greater profit.

And while Coca-Cola might be evil, it’s not dumb; it knows that its choices in one of its biggest markets on earth is to either play by our rules or not play at all.

I’m glad we’re forcing them to behave — kind of.

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

The post The relentless imperialism of Coca Cola and our rights to health appeared first on Mexico News Daily

I often hear comments from Americans that Claudia Sheinbaum should get out of the way and let the U.S. military handle the cartels. Those who make this argument seem able to easily overlook the troubles that the U.S. military had upon getting involved in other countries such as Colombia, Iraq and Afghanistan. Recent history has shown that one country “helping” another with its internal problems often doesn’t work very well.

Those that make this argument also seem to think that the U.S. will somehow quickly and easily be able to handle the supply side of the drug trade in Mexico despite the fact that there has been extremely limited success handling the demand side of the drug issue in the U.S. They also think that the best way to deal with the supply problem is by handling it on the Mexican side of the border (versus focusing on the supply chain within the U.S.). A final argument I hear from people is that Claudia is “afraid” of cartels and is unwilling and incapable of doing anything serious to stop them.

So let’s take stock of where we are at, eight months into Claudia Sheinbaum’s presidency and nearly five months into Trump’s. Are we seeing any progress with the cartels?

Let’s look at some of the actual data and facts in six different areas to help us answer this important question.

1. Is there a more significant troop presence at the border than before?

Both the U.S. and Mexico have increased their troop presence at the border.  The US has over 10,000 personnel between active troops and National Guard members. Just last week the U.S. approved another 1,000 troops. On the Mexican side, Sheinbaum has approved 10,000 National Guard members to work on the border.

US deploys over 1,000 additional troops to border with Mexico

2. Is there increased cooperation on surveillance?

Following reports of covert CIA drone flights over Mexico, Sheinbaum admitted that the Mexican military was cooperating with U.S. agents to spy on cartels and locate fentanyl labs. The drone flights began early this year and have not been authorized to conduct any strikes. There were also reports of at least 18 spy plane missions conducted in the U.S. Southwest and in international airspace around the Baja Peninsula.

Pentagon’s 18 spy plane missions near US-Mexico border spark surveillance concerns

3. Is the amount of drugs confiscated higher than before?

Recent drug confiscations at the Mexico-U.S. border and within Mexico have reached record levels, notably involving fentanyl and cocaine. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported a historic seizure of approximately 4 million fentanyl pills weighing over 453 kilograms at the Lukeville, Arizona, Port of Entry — nearly quadrupling their previous record. In Texas, 1,555 kilograms of methamphetamine were also seized. In Mexico, the Navy intercepted 1.28 tonnes of cocaine off the coast of Michoacán, delivering a significant blow to traffickers. Additionally, Mexican federal authorities made the largest fentanyl bust in the country’s history by confiscating over 1,000 kilograms in Sinaloa, with an estimated economic impact of $400 million.

Federal authorities intercept more than 20 million fentanyl doses in Sinaloa

4. Have there been significant arrests of cartel leaders?

Recent arrests of drug cartel leaders have been significant in disrupting criminal operations. Francisco Román, a senior MS-13 leader, was arrested in Mexico. Additionally, Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada, a top Sinaloa Cartel figure, was detained in the U.S. Ovidio Guzmán, son of ‘El Chapo,’ is set to plead guilty to drug trafficking charges. Other notable arrests include José Ángel Canobbio and Kevin Alonso Gil Acosta of the Sinaloa Cartel, and Carlos Treviño, leader of the Northeast Cartel. Earlier this year, Mexico extradited 29 cartel figures, including Rafael Caro Quintero, to the United States. And just recently, 17 family members of Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán surrendered to the FBI at the U.S.-Mexico border. This event is linked to a potential plea agreement being negotiated by Ovidio Guzmán López, one of El Chapo’s sons, with U.S. authorities. It’s not yet known what impact these arrests will have on the flow of drugs, but there has been an increase in arrests as well as some unprecedented cooperation between the two countries.

In historic first, Mexico mass-extradites dozens of cartel operatives to the US

5. Has overall violence decreased?

Several weeks ago, the Sheinbaum administration gave an update highlighting a decrease in total homicides of 11% nationwide year to date versus last year. Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch reported that more than 20,000 people had been arrested for “high-impact crimes” since Sheinbaum took office and highlighted the seizure of more than 10,000 firearms. Despite the positive statistics, the administration and the entire nation were recently shocked by the murder of two close aides of Mexico City mayor Clara Brugada in a brazen morning rush hour attack. Other high profile incidents in Jalisco, Guanajuanto, and Baja California Sur have no one feeling that the security situation has significantly improved.

Mayor’s personal secretary and advisor murdered in Mexico City

6. What do leaders from the US have to say about the situation?

Several U.S. leaders, including President Trump, have recently weighed in on Mexico.  Trump has — as perhaps is to be expected — heaped both praise and criticism on President Sheinbaum’s efforts to stop the cartels.

“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 on March 6. More recently, he told Fox News that “Mexico is, I think, very afraid of the cartels actually. I think the cartels run large sections of Mexico and I don’t want to say that because I’m getting along very well with the president.” In that interview, Trump went on to say that he is “dealing very nicely” with Sheinbaum, whom he described as “a very fine woman.”

Trump claims Mexico is ‘very afraid’ of its drug cartels in Fox News interview

The US head of Homeland Security, Kristy Noem, recently visited Sheinbaum in Mexico City and wrote the following: “Mexico’s deployment of National Guard troops to the border and acceptance of deportation flights is a positive step, but there is still much work to be done to stop the flow of drugs and illegal immigrants into our country,”

Just last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said of Mexico:  “… It’s been actually pretty positive. They have been very responsive on our security concerns, they’ve increased their security cooperation with us in ways that have been very productive,” The secretary of state also said he “intended to travel potentially to Mexico” in “the next few weeks” along with “a couple of other cabinet members to sort of finalize some of these areas of cooperation.”

Rubio says Mexico is more cooperative ‘than ever before’ in cartel crackdown, aims to stop flow of arms south

My take: Despite still being very much in the early stages, we are in fact seeing a higher level of cooperation and commitment from both the U.S. and Mexican governments in wanting to get control of this situation in a way that we have not seen before.

What do you think?

Stay tuned to MND as we cover this issue — a critical one not just for each country, but for future U.S.-Mexico relations as well. I believe we will continue to see a very steady flow of news on this topic from both countries.

Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for nearly 30 years.

The post Claudia versus the cartels: A perspective from our CEO appeared first on Mexico News Daily