MI’s Mexico Foreign Press Chatter – Mar. 27, 2025

April 3, 2026
12:00 pm

Foreign Press Coverage

Mexico’s sluggish economy was covered this week in two pieces by The Economist. Diagnosing the country’s low growth as “self-inflicted” and not Trump-induced, the reports (unsurprisingly) prescribe reducing informality, cutting out constitutional reforms and streamlining regulation to “unleash” the country’s private sector. (In an acerbic column in Nexos former Foreign Minister Jorge Castañeda replied to The Economist articles ‘The deeper problem with Mexico’s economic growth is the 4T, not informality, which has always existed, nor an already obsolete social protection system… even foreign correspondents will grasp that at some point.’’)

In other economic news, Bloomberg reported on the spike in inflation in the first half of March and the split and controversial decision by the Bank of Mexico to lower its benchmark interest rate on Thursday, and on how the precarious situation for Mexico’s underfunded cultural and historic sites could impact the tourism sector.

On the political front, an AtlasIntel poll conducted for Bloomberg found Sheinbaum’s approval ratings slumped to 54% this month, the lowest point so far in her term, even as other polls (El Financiero etc.) show much higher support; in the wake of the El Mencho operation and fallout, concerns about insecurity rose 10 points from February. The outlet also covered increased evictions and ongoing gentrification backlash in Mexico City ahead of the World Cup, which one demonstration by street vendors dubbed the “World Cup of Displacement”. Reuters covered the heavy security at the World Cup playoff game held in Guadalajara on Thursday night, as the city prepares to host four matches at the Akron Stadium during the cup.

Oil spills and immigration also made international headlines this week. Reuters reported on the fallout from the March 17 Olmeca refinery fire, while AP covered the mysterious spill in the Gulf affecting over 600 km of coastline in Tabasco and Veracruz, which the government is now blaming on two natural seepages as well as a vessel anchored off the coast of Coatzacoalcos. A migrant march out of Tapachula was covered by AP (notably not heading north but protesting processing delays in Mexico) as well as the discovery of 229 people in a truck in Veracruz, the first one of these encounters in months. Meanwhile, the LA Times reported on Trump’s deportations to Mexico of non-Mexican nationals, AP covered the death of a Mexican teen in an ICE detention center in Florida, and The Guardian published a short documentary about the journey of a “self-deportee” from LA to Mexico City.

Crime and security coverage brought another report on gun smuggling, this time in The Guardian, and an LA Times piece about how a Los Angeles family with family ties to Jalisco responded to the fallout after El Mencho’s death. And in a rare nugget of good environmental news, The Guardian reported on the World Wildlife Fund’s research showing that Mexico’s monarch butterfly population increased by 64% this winter compared to the same period of 2025.

Notable blogs in English on Mexico

The Mexico Political Economist reported on the dynamic between the government and banking sector at the annual banking convention last week and how both sides agree at least on which direction to go: more economic growth and investment (and less cash). Eduardo García continued his evaluation of Mexico’s educational system on Materia Gris, this week covering the government’s elimination of entrance exams for Mexico City high schools, which fails to “address the underlying problem: the shortage of high-quality educational spaces for all secondary school graduates seeking to continue their studies in the metropolitan area.” Ioan Grillo reported on the 15 year-old who shot and killed two teachers at his school in Michoacán earlier this week, and how it could reflect a broader trend of online radicalization among isolated young men.

Mexico Political Economist – The vibe inside Mexican banking

Materia Gris – Educational populism and the false elimination of the exam

CrashOut Media – An Incel School Shooter in Mexico?

Photo of the Week

The Pyramid of the Moon at Teotihuacán. Photographer: Ruben E. Reyes for Bloomberg Businessweek

MI’s Mexico Foreign Press Chatter – Mar. 27, 2025

Foreign Press Coverage

Notable blogs in English on Mexico

Photo of the Week

Other articles on Mexico