MI’s Mexico Foreign Press Chatter – Feb. 13, 2025

febrero 20, 2026
12h00

Bilateral security issues stayed front and center, with the story of the week coming a joint NYT- ICIJ investigation into how the American military is indirectly arming Mexican cartels. The report detailed how armor-ripping .50 caliber ammo is finding its way south, giving organized crime the firepower to challenge Mexican law enforcement. Following the story, President Sheinbaum reiterated Mexico’s long-standing demand that Washington curb the southbound flow of arms and drawing parallels to U.S. complaints over fentanyl trafficking. The NYT also covered U.S. claims of cartel drone activities, including an episode in which U.S. officials deployed experimental anti-drone laser technology at what turned out to be a party balloon, prompting a temporary airspace closure in El Paso. In contrast, the FT reported on military cooperation as the Mexican Navy exchanged information with America’s Joint Interagency Task Force South that led to the seizure of 188 packages of cocaine near Baja California. Separately, the LA Times revisited the case of Dámaso López Serrano, the alleged culprit of journalist Javier Valdez’s killing, whose U.S. prison sentence narrows hopes he will face justice in Mexico

Domestic news also struck a mostly negative tone. Bloomberg and Reuters reported on arrests linked to the case of 10 kidnapped miners working for Canada’s Vizsla Silver Corp, five of whom were found dead; officials claimed this happened after the miners were mistaken for members of a rival group. Meanwhile, the NYT covered a measles outbreak driven by falling vaccination rates and weak public health infrastructure, which could cost Mexico its measles-free status, just months away from the massive influx of World Cup tourists. In Oaxaca, Reuters covered a gas pipeline explosion that killed three and injured six.

Energy remained a source of bilateral tension as Cuba moves closer to running out of oil. The NYT revisited Mexico’s historical and ideological ties to the island nation. Then, the FT reported that Cuba has warned airlines that jet fuel supplies are exhausted, while the AP followed two Mexican navy ships delivering food to relieve pressure. Domestically, news centered on Pemex’s stabilization efforts, as Reuters detailed Grupo Carso’s joint venture to boost production at the Macavil field, and Bloomberg reported on a 31.5-billion-peso bond sale designed to shore up finances ahead of anticipated rate cuts and the USMCA renegotiation.

Elsewhere on business and the economy, trade tensions resurfaced after Bloomberg reported that President Trump is privately weighing a withdrawal from the USMCA, which injected very temporary volatility into the peso. On investment, Reuters revealed that Chinese companies BYD and Geely are seeking to buy a plant currently owned by Nissan/Mercedes-Benz, underscoring how tariff pressures are reshaping Mexico’s auto sector as Beijing and Mexico engage in trade talks following new duties on Chinese goods. Meanwhile, Bloomberg flagged investment concerns. First, regarding Mexico’s judicial reform, which has led companies to avoid lawsuits, highlighting the judiciary’s loss of credibility and its effect on investment. Then, in an op-ed regarding aviation, J.P Spinetto warned that the proposed Viva Aerobus–Volaris merger could hand 70% of the aviation market to one group and test Mexico’s newly created antitrust authority. And in other regulatory matters, Senators approved the 40-hour workweek reform, though critics warn the reform leaves significant loopholes, per Reuters.

Shifting gears, the NYT visited the Riviera Nayarit, flagging it as a less expensive alternative to some of Mexico’s marquee beach destinations, highlighting surf culture, fishing villages, nature, and low-key charm. In Mexico’s rich archaeological scene, the FT featured an op-ed by Jude Webber who used recent discoveries of two prehispanic tombs to emphasize the vulnerabilities these sites face. In sports, The Athletic profiled Sarah Schleper, a seven-time Olympian who will represent Mexico at this year’s Winter Olympics, following her marriage to a Mexican citizen, alongside her son, Lasse Gaxiola, as Mexico’s presence in the competition grows somewhat. And in the intersection between sports and entertainment, the AP and the Athletic covered Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show, which resonated among Latinos at a time of heightened migration tension.

Blogs destacados en inglés sobre México

Mexico-related Substacks featured a review of Mexico’s telecom market, as El economista político de México explores why America Movil has remained as a dominant player despite the 2013 telecom reform, arguing that the industry’s structure tends towards consolidation due to high infrastructure costs. In Crashout, Ioan Grillo used the Canadian miners’ kidnapping as nothing more than an example of the deep entrenchment between cartels and the mining industry, with companies often forced into extortion payments. In Materia Gris José Antonio Aguilar, professor at the CIDE, argues that the political intervention through an externally imposed director under López Obrador weakened the academic credibility of the institution and stressed that the political conditions for such intervention remain despite the directors recent dismissal. Finally, Viri Ríos argues in México descodificado that some in Mexico didn’t quite appreciate Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl show, not because of musical preferences, but due to a deeper cultural divide.