MI’s Mexico Foreign Press Chatter – May 30, 2025

mayo 30, 2025
8:55 am

The most powerful article of the week was a heart-wrenching account by Lizbeth Diaz at Reuters of how cartels recruit and exploit Mexican children, some as young as six. Utilizing platforms like social media and video games, these criminal organizations lure minors from violent and impoverished backgrounds, capitalizing on their perceived loyalty and the legal leniency afforded to juveniles: ‘the cartel liked her childish enthusiasm for learning new skills, her unquestioning loyalty, and perhaps most importantly, her status as a minor protected her from severe punishment if the cops ever caught her’. The investigation reveals harrowing accounts from current and former child recruits, highlighting a systemic issue exacerbated by inadequate legal frameworks and insufficient rehabilitation programs. With an estimated 30,000 children involved in criminal groups and hundreds of thousands more at risk, the deep-rooted cultural influence of organized crime in Mexico underscores an urgent need for comprehensive intervention.

Meanwhile, all eyes are Sunday’s judicial election, with The Economist describing the process as ‘‘a terrible idea, very dangerous for democracy, and bad for the economy”, a sentiment shared by most of the coverage; the FT was more succinct, labeling it “Kafkaesque” – ouch. Turnout is expected to be dismally low, and concern over the candidates themselves is mounting. “I’ve never sold myself as the perfect candidate”, Reuters quoted a candidate in Durango, on the ballot despite having served six years in the US for smuggling meth, displaying the type of solid logical reasoning the country needs from its judges. For its part, The New York Times warned of the danger to impartial judgement and exposure to bribery and corruption. The paper draws comparisons to Bolivia, where attempts to democratize the judiciary have been plagued by political squabbles, threats, and criminal influence.

Protests from the teachers’ union CNTE also gathered headlines. The union has created havoc for Mexico City’s long-suffering commuters – and even tourists, briefly grounded all flights at Benito Juárez airport last week. The government has continued to push back against its demands – doubling their wages and rolling back pension reforms. The New York Times explores how a weakening Mexican economy is bringing leftist Sheinbaum under fire due to a ‘yawning budget deficit’ restricting her ability to negotiate.

On the US-Mexico relationship, another rather unpleasant issue is washing up across the border — literally. The white sandy shores of Imperial Beach, CA, have been plagued with a foul-smelling mist. According to the NYT, ‘Every day, 50 million gallons of untreated sewage, industrial chemicals and trash flow from Tijuana, Mexico, into southern San Diego County.’ The salty-haired surfers that the town is known for are nowhere to be seen. With locals and Marines contracting gastrointestinal infections alike, citizens implore authorities to clean up their muddy waves.

Shifting gears, The Economist reported on the thriving market for works by female Surrealists with ties to Mexico. Between broomsticks, beasts, and glittering astral clocks, collectors are shelling out millions for works by Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo, bucking the 27% slump the global art market saw last year. More accessibly, the NYT’s art critic Jason Farago points out his top five sites in Mexico City, ‘some landmark-famous and some fairly obscure, that begin to map this city’s inexhaustible cultural prosperity’.

Lastly, on this week’s MexMoves, Damian and Eduardo look at what’s in store for Mexico’s economy in the second half of 2025 with Miriam Acuña from GBM. Andrés Benavides, founder of Cometa, shares how edtech can help Mexico’s private schools improve operations & collections, and focus on teaching. They also break down the top stock market winners and losers of 1H25, why U.S. fintechs are doubling down on microloans in Mexico, and Liverpool’s strategic bet on Nordstrom. You can listen to it here.