Mexico, U.S. Bust People Trafficking Network

Fox News Latino, 2/26/2015

The Mexican Attorney General’s Office and U.S. immigration authorities have broken up a network that smuggled undocumented Latin Americans to the United States, arresting 42 people, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico announced Thursday.

On Monday, the 42 people arrested were charged with people trafficking, rape of an unaccompanied minor, sexually abusing migrants, illegal deprivation of freedom and other crimes, the embassy said.

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Mexico Regrets U.S. Judge’s Immigration Ruling

Yahoo News, 2/17/2015 

Mexico City (AFP) – The Mexican government on Tuesday lamented a US judge’s decision to block an immigration order by President Barack Obama that would have protected millions of undocumented workers from deportation.

“These programs are a fair migration remedy for millions of families and could strengthen the contributions of Mexican migrants to the US economy and society,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

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32 in U.S., Mexico Accused of Running Sinaloa Cartel Gold-for-Cash Money-Laundering Scheme

Fox News Latino, 2/13/2015

Thirty-two people from the United States and Mexico are accused of running a multistate gold-for-cash scheme that laundered more than $100 million in U.S. profits for Mexico’s powerful Sinaloa drug cartel, a complaint unsealed this week in federal court in Chicago says.

The cartel associates used cash from narcotics sales to purchase scrap and fine gold — including from Chicago-area jewelers — then sent it to metal refineries in Florida and California; plants sometimes transferred payments for the gold directly to Mexico, the complaint says.

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U.S., Mexico Increasingly Competing for Farm Labor

By Miriam Jordan, 1/23/2015

DAVIS, Calif.—The U.S. and Mexico are increasingly competing for a dwindling supply of farm labor, according to a new analysis, a development that likely will have long-term implications for the U.S. agricultural sector.

The majority of hired farmworkers in the U.S., estimated at around 1 million, are Mexican, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. In California, Mexican migrants account for 90% of hired workers, according to independent estimates. But the pool of Mexican agricultural workers is steadily declining, with no indication that it will be reversed, according to J. Edward Taylor, professor of agricultural and resource economics at the University of California, Davis.

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Addressing Global Energy Demand in North America

1/22/2015 The Wagner Review

By Maria Landa, Former Mexico Institute Intern

By 2030, global energy demand will increase by 41 percent due to rapid population and economic growth. Between 2012 and 2035, global population is projected to grow by 1.7 billion and real (or inflation-adjusted) income will more than double. In order to promote more energy efficient activities that curb greenhouse gas emissions and slow growth related to demand, both developed and emerging economies have placed environment and climate policies high on their political agendas. Yet, the latest scenario by the International Energy Agency World Energy Outlook estimates that in 2040, oil and gas will remain the backbone of energy supply, making up nearly half of the total energy supply – with the remainder coming from coal and low-carbon fuels.

Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. will play critical roles in meeting the demand, tackling pressure on the global energy system, and contributing to energy security. With the abundance of U.S. natural gas and oil reserves, Canada’s oil sands and Mexico’s landmark constitutional energy reform (which opened its energy sector to private investment for the first time), North America is now considered an energy superpower. Leading think tanks and political leaders are urging the U.S. not only to strengthen ties with its North American neighbors, but also to make the trilateral relationship a priority in U.S. policy. The Council on Foreign Relations recently released a report led by former CIA Director David Petraeus and former World Bank president, Robert Zoellick, indicating that increased production and innovation in the energy sector coupled with China’s labor and shipping costs, boost North America’s global competitive advantage.

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Mexico Say Expects Kingpin Extradition Request From U.S. Soon

Reuters, 1/20/2015

Mexico’s attorney general said on Tuesday he expects the United States to submit an extradition request soon for drug lord Joaquin “Shorty” Guzman, who was Mexico’s most wanted man until his capture last February.

“I’m aware they’re going to ask me, and it won’t be a problem to do all the paperwork to determine at the time what will be most convenient,” Attorney General Jesus Murillo told reporters in Mexico City of the U.S. extradition request.

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Harper Postpones Three Amigos Summit Amid Chilly Relations with U.S. and Mexico

1/15/2015 The Globe and Mail

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has postponed the North American leaders’ summit with U.S. President Barack Obama and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto at a time when relations with both leaders are chilly.

The unexpected move allows Mr. Harper to avoid an awkward side-by-side news conference with Mr. Obama at a February summit that all three governments were expecting would be dominated by the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline – now at the top of the political agenda in Washington.

Instead, the Prime Minister surprised the United States and Mexico by postponing the event, popularly dubbed the Three Amigos summit, to an unspecified date late in the year. “We intend to proceed with the meeting later in 2015,” said Mr. Harper’s communications director, Jason MacDonald.

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