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.
Blogs destacados en inglés sobre México
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?
Foto de la semana
The Pyramid of the Moon at Teotihuacán. Photographer: Ruben E. Reyes for Bloomberg Businessweek
Other articles on Mexico
Mexico must unleash its private sector
25/03/26, The Economist
26/03/26, The Economist
Jorge Castañeda’s reply – The Economist matiza
Banxico Swings Back to Rate Cut Even as Price Pressures Rise
26/03/26, Bloomberg, Gonzalo Soto and Alex Vasquez
Tourism Is Huge in Mexico. Spending on Cultural Sites Isn’t
26/03/26, Bloomberg, David Alire Garcia
Mexico’s Guadalajara hosts World Cup playoff match under specter of violence
27/03/26, Reuters, Diego Oré
Sheinbaum’s Approval Falls to Lowest of Presidency on Crime Fears
26/03/26, Bloomberg, Gonzalo Soto
Whole-Building Evictions Reveal a Fast-Changing Mexico City
25/03/26, Bloomberg, Alex Vasquez and Amy Stillman
Mexican President Sheinbaum says she will uphold Cuban doctor agreement as other countries dip out
25/03/26, AP, Megan Janetsky
Gulf of Mexico oil spill spread hundreds of miles, killed wildlife and polluted Mexican reserves
26/03/26, AP, Fabiola Sánchez
Residents and wildlife along Mexico’s coast bear the brunt of Pemex oil spill
25/03/26, Reuters, Luis Manuel Lopez
Brazil’s Petrobras to discuss deepwater partnership with Pemex
24/03/26, Reuters, Adriana Barrera and Raul Cortes
Migrants march in southern Mexico to protest processing delays for better jobs
25/03/26, AP News, Edgar H. Clemente
Mexican authorities find 229 migrants in truck in Veracruz
23/03/26, AP News, Alba Alemán
Trump is deporting thousands of Cubans and other migrants to Mexico
21/03/26, LA Times, Kate Linthicum
The ‘self-deportee’ hounded out of the US to Mexico: ‘There are days when I feel literally insane’
24/03/26, The Guardian, Ed Pilkington
A Mexican teen migrant dies in a Florida jail holding ICE detainees
20/03/26, AP, Gisela Salomon
Californians with deep ties to Jalisco rattled by cartel violence and fears of bloody power struggle
26/03/26, The LA Times, Ruben Vives
Arizona’s guns are feeding the bloodshed in Mexico’s cartel war
24/03/26, The Guardian, Thomas Graham
Mexico negotiates return of international experts for disappeared students probe
23/03/26, Reuters, Lizbeth Diaz
Mexico Woman’s Fight for the Right to Die Raises Awareness
26/03/26, AP, María Teresa Hernández
From Mexico to Marsch’s roster, inside Marcelo Flores’ dramatic Canada switch
27/03/26, NYT Athletic, Joshua Kloke
Mexico’s monarch butterfly population jumps 64%, offering hope for at-risk species
20/03/26, The Guardian, Oscar Lopez
Descargar PDF: Mexico Foreign Press Chatter 27.03.26