MI’s Mexico Foreign Press Chatter – Jul. 17, 2026

July 24, 2026
12:00 pm

Foreign coverage on Mexico

Summer must really be here if the arrival of burrito bowls in Mexico was the story that got the widest foreign press coverage this week. “Will Mexicans bite?” asked Reuters following the opening of US chain Chipotle’s first restaurant in the country, in Monterrey, on Thursday – and will the salsas be hot enough? “Spice is a sensitive topic,” noted the outlet, particularly after CDMX locals have complained of milder salsas since the influx of foreigners (Chipotle and partner Alsea plan to expand to Mexico City next year). The Guardian reported on both excitement and mockery on social media about the restaurant’s arrival, recalling Taco Bell’s failed attempts to open in Mexico years ago – and Carlos Monsiváis saying it was like “bringing ice to the Arctic.”

AP covered the Mexican government’s response to the deadly ICE shooting of Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo; the government has formally requested that the US conduct criminal investigations into the deaths of Mexican citizens in ICE custody or during raids (17 have died since Trump returned to office). The New York Times reported on how locals are mourning the death of Salgado, who was killed in Magnolia Park — “a center of Mexican American life in Houston for generations.”

In business news, Bloomberg reported on Carlos Slim’s Grupo Carso’s acquisition of TotalEnergies’ 30% stake in an offshore oil field, extending the magnate’s “holdings of the bits and pieces of Mexico’s oil and gas sector that aren’t under state control,” and also on Apollo Global Management looking to deploy up to $20 billion on “potential financing of infrastructure projects and other debt deals” in Mexico. Reuters covered remarks made by USTR Jamieson Greer about the USMCA, in which he described Mexico as “quite pragmatic” but flagged the US trade deficit with Mexico as “a challenge… a problem.”

Bloomberg also reported on the arrest of Ernesto Ruffo, a former PAN governor of Baja California, on suspected involvement in fuel smuggling, which “could contribute to a simmering political controversy” in the state as current Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila (Morena) faces scrutiny over leaked audio in which she allegedly asks to collaborate with the FBI on security matters.

Claudia Sheinbaum was again the subject of a lengthy and broadly sympathetic profile this week, this time in Al Jazeera. This piece goes deeper into her personal history, her formative experiences in protests, and her political evolution, quoting analyst Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera: “She has been very savvy, and scientists are not very savvy in politics, to be honest.”

Notable blogs in English on Mexico

In CrashOut, Ioan Grillo covered the torture and murder of Guerrero journalist and activist Alex Serna — the third Mexican journalist killed in under a month — who was known for exposing environmental destruction and political corruption. The Mexico Political Economist covered the Mexican government’s move away from the “tepid diplomatic notes” of the past as it promises “more forceful legal measures” in reaction to the deaths of Mexican citizens in ICE custody or during raids, noting the timing could also be self-defence in the face of escalating US pressure on Morena politicians. And Miranda Intelligence’s daily Substack covered key developments in energy, fintech, public affairs and politics in Mexico.

CrashOut Media – The Onslaught On Journalists In Mexico Goes On
MXPE – Mexico hits back at US
Miranda Intelligence daily reports on Substack

Photo of the week

A memorial grows at the site where Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was fatally shot by ICE agents, last week, on Monday, July 13, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Karen Warren)

MI’s Mexico Foreign Press Chatter – Jul. 17, 2026

Foreign coverage on Mexico

Notable blogs in English on Mexico

Photo of the week

Top stories on Mexico