Page 5 - Us Mexico

Harris visits US-Mexico border to show her record more than Trump criticism

Vice President Kamala Harris arrived at Arizona's border with Mexico, making her first visit to the international boundary since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee as she confronts one of her biggest vulnerabilities ahead of the November election. Harris on Friday stepped out of her motorcade on a dusty desert road outside Douglas, Arizona, and shook hands with two men from the US Border Patrol. Harris, wearing sunglasses, slacks and a black coat, chatted with the uniformed agents as they walked along the rust-colored border wall in temperatures that neared 100 degrees. Later, she was expected to call for further tightening asylum restrictions, breaking from President Joe Biden's policy on an issue where her rival, former President Donald Trump, has an edge. Trump and his fellow Republicans have pounded Harris relentlessly over the Biden administration's record on migration and fault the vice president for spending little time visiting the border during her time in the Whi

Mexico puts ties with US, Canada embassies 'on pause' over overhaul plan

Mexico's president told reporters Tuesday he has put relations with the United States and Canadian embassies on pause after the two countries voiced concerns over a proposed judicial overhaul that critics say could undermine the independence of the judiciary. President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador didn't elaborate on what a pause would mean. It's not a term used in formal diplomatic codes, and Mexico's foreign ministry did not respond to an Associated Press request for comment about what it would entail. The judicial overhaul proposal, suggested by the Mexican president during his final weeks in office, includes having judges elected to office, something analysts, judges and international observers fear would stack courts with politically biased judges with little experience. It has spurred major protests and strikes and wide criticism from investors and financial institutions. Last week, American ambassador Ken Salazar called the proposal a risk to democracy that would endanger Mexico

US expands area in Mexico to apply for border asylum appointments

As soon as she stepped onto Mexican soil this week, Venezuelan migrant Yuri Carolina Melndez downloaded the US government's app to apply for asylum appointments. The CBP One app has been around, but as of Friday migrants in Mexico's southernmost states bordering Guatemala will be able to apply for appointments. Previously, they had to be in central or northern Mexico. I have to wait to see if it really works, the woman said while resting under a tree with her 16- and 18-year-old daughters along a border highway leading to the city of Tapachula this week. Mexico has been asking the US to expand the app's access to the south in an attempt to relieve the pressure migrants feel to continue north to at least Mexico City. In recent years, the Mexican government has tried to contain migrants in the south farther from the US border, but the lack of work opportunities and housing in southern cities like Tapachula have pushed migrants north. Mexico hopes that if migrants can wait for their .

US envoy warns of drug cartel risks to Mexican judiciary from AMLO Bill

Lopez Obrador, known as AMLO, has said the election of judges by popular vote would cut corruption in the judiciary, and prevent it from prioritizing business interests over the public good

US to expand areas for migrants to apply online for entry from South Mexico

The Biden administration will expand areas where migrants can apply online for appointments to enter the United States to a large swath of southern Mexico, officials said on Saturday, potentially easing strains on the Mexican government and lessening dangers for people trying to reach the US border to claim asylum. Migrants will be able to schedule appointments on the CBP One app from the states of Chiapas and Tabasco, extending the zone from northern and central Mexico, US Customs and Border Protection said. The move satisfies a request of Mexico, an increasingly close partner of the US in efforts to control extraordinary migration flows. The change will spare migrants from traveling north through Mexico to get one of 1,450 appointments made available daily, CBP said. The agency said it will happen soon but did not give a date. We consistently engage with our partners in the Government of Mexico and work together to adjust policies and practices in response to the latest migration

Real-life Narcos busted: US authorities capture top Sinaloa Cartel leaders

Two top leaders of Mexican drug cartel known as El Mayo and El Chapo were arrested by US authorities in a major operation involving the FBI, DEA, and Homeland Security investigations

Accused of drug trafficking, US arrests leaders of Mexico's Sinaloa cartel

Ismael El Mayo Zambada, a longtime leader of Mexico's Sinaloa cartel, and Joaqun Guzman Lopez, a son of another infamous cartel leader, were arrested by U.S. authorities in Texas on Thursday, the US Justice Department said. A leader of the powerful Sinaloa cartel for decades alongside Joaqun El Chapo Guzmn, Zambada is one of the most powerful drug traffickers in the world and known for running the cartel's smuggling operations while keeping a lower profile. The U.S. government had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to Zambada's capture. The Justice Department said the men were arrested in El Paso but didn't immediately provide details about how they were taken into custody. Zambada and Guzmn Lpez, who have eluded authorities for decades, oversaw the trafficking of tens of thousands of pounds of drugs into the United States, along with related violence, FBI Director Christopher Wray said, adding that now they will "face justice in the United States. Fentan

Mexican prez calls Trump 'a friend', says he'll warn against closing border

Mexico's president called Donald Trump a friend on Friday and said he would write to the former US president to warn him against pledging to close the border or blaming migrants for bringing drugs into the United States. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador called Trump, president from 2017 to 2021 and again the Republican nominee for this fall's presidential election, a man of intelligence and vision, despite Trump's repeated calls to close the two countries' border. Mexicans were offended in 2015 when then-candidate Trump claimed that, in many cases, immigrants arriving in the US illegally included criminals, drug dealers, rapists". And Mexico was shocked in 2019 when Trump as president threatened to close the border for a long time unless Mexican authorities stopped migrants from crossing. Lpez Obrador said the two countries' economies were so intertwined that they couldn't bear a closure for even a month. Lopez Obrador said that in a letter he planned to send next week, I am .

Mexico on 'red alert' as Category 3 Hurricane Beryl nears landfall

US National Hurricane Centre said Beryl, which was the earliest Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic, now had winds of 115 mph (185 kph ) after weakening earlier

US suspends inspections of avocados in Mexico over security concerns

The United States government has suspended inspections of avocados and mangoes in the Mexican state of Michoacan due to security concerns, an official said on Monday. A US government spokesperson, whose name could not be used under agency policy, said the US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is pausing inspections in Michoacan, which is Mexico's biggest exporter of avocados, until the security conditions are resolved. Inspections in other Mexican states are not affected, the spokesperson said. In February 2022, the US government suspended inspections of Mexican avocados until further notice after a US plant safety inspector in Michoacan received a threatening message. The halt was lifted after about a week. Later that year, Jalisco became the second Mexican state authorized to export avocados to the US. The pause in inspections won't block shipments of Mexican avocados to the United States, because Jalisco is now an exporter and there are a lot

Mexico elects Claudia Sheinbaum as country's first female president

Pollster Parametria forecast Sheinbaum winning a landslide 56 per cent of the vote, according to their exit polls

Mexico awaits results in election likely to choose its first female prez

Polls closed on Sunday in a national vote that will likely give Mexico its first female president but the heat, violence and polarisation continued almost right through election day. People turned out to vote in the township of Cuitzeo, in the western state of Michoacn, despite the fact that a town council candidate was shot to death by two hitmen aboard a motorcycle just hours before the election. Nationwide, the voting was largely peaceful but it appeared that even if the frontrunner -- former Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum -- wins, she is unlikely to enjoy the kind of unquestioning devotion that outgoing President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador has enjoyed. Both belong to the ruling Morena party. Araceli Hernndez (49), a university professor in international studies in Mexico City, said she was voting for Morena. "Even though there are things we don't like, like militarisation, there has been progress." Hernndez was referring to Lpez Obrador's policy of relying on the army and t

Mexico: All you need to know about elections that will put a woman in power

Mexicans will vote Sunday in historic elections weighing gender, democracy and populism, as they chart the country's path forward in voting shadowed by cartel violence. With two women leading the contest, Mexico will likely elect its first female president a major step in a country long marked by its macho culture. The election will also be the biggest in the country's history. More than 20,000 congressional and local positions are up for grabs, according to the National Electoral Institute. The number of contested posts has fed bloodshed during the campaigns, as criminal groups have used local elections as an opportunity to exert power. A toxic slate of cartels and gangs have battled for turf and more than 20 people seeking political office have been killed just this year. Also at play is the political legacy of President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador and Mexico's often tumultuous relationship with the United States. WHO ARE THE CANDIDATES IN MEXICO'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION? Candidat

Texas' migrant arrest law back on hold after briefly taking effect

A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday lifted a stay on a Texas law that gives police broad powers to arrest migrants suspected of crossing the US-Mexico border illegally while a legal battle over immigration authority plays out. The Biden administration is suing to strike down the measure, arguing it's a clear violation of federal authority that would hurt international relations and create chaos in administering immigration law. The law allows any police officer in Texas to arrest migrants for illegal entry. A judge could then order them to leave the US Texas has argued it has a right to take action over what Texas authorities have called a crisis at the southern border. The battle over the Texas immigration law is one of multiple legal disputes between Texas officials and the Biden administration over how far the state can go to patrol the Texas-Mexico border and prevent illegal border crossings. Gov. Greg Abbott has described the situation at the border as an invasion of migrants.

First time in 2 decades, Mexico overtakes China as leading exporter to US

For the first time in more than two decades, Mexico last year surpassed China as the leading source of goods imported to the United States. The shift reflects the growing tensions between Washington and Beijing as well as US efforts to import from countries that are friendlier and closer to home. Figures released Wednesday by the U.S. Commerce Department show that the value of goods imported to the United States from Mexico rose nearly 5% from 2022 to 2023, to more than $475 billion. At the same time, the value of Chinese imports imports tumbled 20% to $427 billion. The last time that Mexican goods imported to the United States exceeded the value of China's imports was in 2002. Economic relations between the United States and China have severely deteriorated in recent years as Beijing has fought aggressively on trade and made ominous military gestures in the Far East. The Trump administration began imposing tariffs on Chinese imports in 2018, arguing that Beijing's trade practices

President Biden offers fresh assurances to shut down border 'right now'

Bidding to salvage a border deal in Congress that also would unlock money for Ukraine, President Joe Biden offered fresh assurances Saturday night that he would be willing to close the US-Mexico border if lawmakers would only send him a bill to sign. Biden also eager to disarm GOP criticism of his handling of migration at the border said at a political event in South Carolina that he would shut down the border 'right now if Congress passed the proposed deal. The framework hasn't been formally agreed to by Senate Democrats and Republicans and would face an uncertain future in the GOP-controlled House. A bipartisan bill would be good for America and help fix our broken immigration system and allow speedy access for those who deserve to be here, and Congress needs to get it done," Biden said. It'll also give me as president, the emergency authority to shut down the border until it could get back under control. If that bill were the law today, I'd shut down the border right now and fix

SC allows agents to cut razor wire Texas installed on US-Mexico border

A divided Supreme Court on Monday allowed Border Patrol agents to cut razor wire that Texas installed on the US-Mexico border, while a lawsuit over the wire continues. The justices, by a 5-4 vote, granted an emergency appeal from the Biden administration, which has been in an escalating standoff at the border with Texas and had objected to an appellate ruling in favor of the state. The concertina wire along roughly 48 kilometers of the Rio Grande near the border city of Eagle Pass is part of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's broader fight with the administration over immigration enforcement. Abbott also has authorised installing floating barriers in the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass and allowed troopers to arrest and jail thousands of migrants on trespassing charges. The administration also is challenging those actions in federal court. A federal appeals court last month forced federal agents to stop cutting the concertina wire. Large numbers of migrants have crossed at Eagle Pass in recent ..

US sees drop in illegal border crossings after Mexico increases enforcement

Daniel Bermudez's family had fled Venezuela and was headed to the US to seek asylum when the freight train they were riding through Mexico was stopped by immigration officials. His wife tried to explain that her family had permission to go to the US Instead, they flew her to Mexico's southern border as part of a surge of enforcement actions that US officials say have contributed to a sharp drop in illegal border crossings. In addition to forcing migrants from trains, Mexico also resumed flying and busing them to the southern part of the country and started flying some home to Venezuela. Even if temporary, the decrease in illegal crossings is welcome news for the White House. President Joe Biden's administration is locked in talks with Senate negotiators over restricting asylum and USD 110 billion in aid for Ukraine and Israel hangs in the balance. Bermudez said his wife became separated from her family when she talked to authorities as he gathered his stepchild and their belongings

Illegal border crossings into the US drop in Oct after 3-month streak

Illegal border crossings from Mexico fell 14 per cent in October from a month earlier, US authorities said, ending a three-month streak of big increases. US officials highlighted the resumption of deportation flights to Venezuela on October 18, shortly after Venezuelans replaced Mexicans as the largest nationality appearing at the border. Arrests of Venezuelans plummeted 45 per cent to 29,637 from 54,833, still second only to Mexicans. Arrests of Venezuelans fell even more, by 74 per cent, in the second half of October from the same period of September. Arrests for illegal crossings totalled 1,88,778 for all nationalities in October, down from 2,18,763 in September, which was the second-highest month on record. Arrests had more than doubled over the previous three months as migrants and smugglers adjusted to new asylum regulations introduced in May. Arrests of Chinese rose slightly to 4,247, with 99 per cent of them in the San Diego area, as more fly to Ecuador and make their way t

US officials will meet with counterparts in Mexico to talk drugs, migration

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other top American officials are visiting Mexico on Wednesday to discuss shared security issues, foremost among them trafficking of the synthetic opioid fentanyl, but also arms trafficking and increasing migration. The latest round of the High-Level Security Dialogue brings Blinken, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, among others, together with their Mexican counterparts for two days of talks. Heightened migration is expected to be discussed as President Joe Biden's administration comes under increasing pressure from Republicans and mayors from the president's own party to do more to slow migrant arrivals. Blinken was scheduled to discuss migration Wednesday with Mexico's Foreign Affairs Secretary Alicia Barcena, as well as the foreign ministers of Colombia and Panama. New York City Mayor Eric Adams took a separate trip through Latin America aimed at learning more about asylum seekers'