By MARK LORENZANA Mexico’s Secretariat of the Navy (Semar) will take full control of immigration and customs tasks at the Mexico City International Airport (AICM) “in an effort to combat organized crime,” the director of the AICM, Carlos Velázquez Tiscareño, announced on the morning of Tuesday, Oct. 4. In a press conference, Velázquez Tiscareño said that the Immigration Office at
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By MARK LORENZANA U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Mexico City on Monday, Sept. 12, accompanied by other U.S. senior officials — chief among them, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo — and promptly held a High-Level Economic Dialogue (HLED) with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) and Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard. Ebrard welcomed Blinken and
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By MARK LORENZANA The federal government of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), through Mexico’s Attorney General of the Republic (FGR), is seeking to appropriate several private properties from the major business district of Santa Fe, located in the Cuajimalpa de Morelos and Álvaro Obregón boroughs of Mexico City — but without paying compensation to the owners. The López
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By MARK LORENZANA The military has long been on the list of untouchables in Mexico. The Mexican National Guard (GN) might soon be added to that list. On Friday, Sept. 9, the Mexican Senate approved a legislation transferring control of the GN to the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena), a contentious move that has sparked outrage from human rights groups
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By MARK LORENZANA President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) on Wednesday, Sept. 7, accused businessmen in Mexico of increasing their profits especially in times of crisis, claiming that the Mexican Treasury will now ask them for an explanation. In his Wednesday morning press conference, López Obrador said that private businesses should instead help control price increases. He specifically mentioned the
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By MARK LORENZANA In March of this year, the government of El Salvador, headed by President Nayib Bukele, declared a state of emergency after police recorded a total of 62 homicides in a single day. It marked the most violent day in 30 years for the Central American country, which has contended with criminal gangs for decades. El Salvador has
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OPINION By MARK LORENZANA Mexican Undersecretary of Public Health Hugo López-Gatell has a problem with medical clinics attached to pharmacies. The clinics are a common sight throughout Mexico — and for good reason. They fill a need, especially for patients who want to see a doctor to help treat minor illnesses such as colds or diarrhea, or for a quick check-up.
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By MARK LORENZANA The Mexican Food System (Segalmex), an agency created by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) in 2018, allegedly entered into a contract with a ghost company in April 2020 and purchased 25,000 tons of sugar worth 465 million pesos, of which only 7,800 tons were delivered. Servicios Integrales Carregin, the alleged ghost company, has already been
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By MARK LORENZANA Economic experts in Mexico have questioned the numbers that Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) presented in his fourth State of the Nation Address (Informe de Gobierno) at the National Palace in Mexico City on the afternoon of Thursday, Sept. 1, and accused him of “not sticking to reality.” The analysts, in a report by Mexican
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By MARK LORENZANA With his popularity dropping, violence growing and the country’s economy crashing, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) on the afternoon of Thursday, Sept. 1, tried his hardest to put a positive spin on his administration’s shortcomings through his State of the Nation Address (Informe de Gobierno) at the National Palace in Mexico City. The 50-minute speech
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