Tag: mexico

The Mexican Government Is Close to Approving a Law Aimed at Removing the Use of Cash

On Wednesday, the Mexican government inched closer to passing a law that would begin the process of phasing out cash payments and requiring digital payments.

The “Digital Economy Law” was first introduced by President Claudia Sheinbaum in early September and has since moved rapidly through official commissions and the Chamber of Deputies. Most recently, on October 14, the bill passed out of two Senate commissions and now awaits a full Senate vote in the coming weeks.

The bill is part of an ongoing effort by the Sheinbaum government and the Morena party to expand the digitization of Mexico’s economy. It instructs Mexico’s Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP) to designate which business sectors will eventually only accept digital and electronic forms of payment.

While Mexico already has existing digital infrastructure, such as the SPEI (Sistema de Pagos Electrónicos Interbancarios) and the CoDi and DiMo networks, the public’s embrace of these systems has been slow. The Digital Economy Law is aimed at increasing the use of such digital payment platforms.

However, in a country where somewhere between 80 and 90 percent of all transactions are done in cash, it remains to be seen how the law will be implemented and enforced. Some critics of the bill have argued that the language of the bill does not make it clear which types of businesses will be compelled to only accept digital payments.

Meanwhile, Sheinbaum and her party allies have said the measures will make life easier for Mexicans because “they do not have to bring cash” and will “be able to pay from the cell phone or through other mechanisms directly.”

At a press conference on September 24, Sheinbaum discussed the effort to limit the use of cash as she officially introduced the Digital Economy Law. Sheinbaum and the Morena Party claim the law will “help security, efficiency, and the formalization of shops and products by digitizing payments and reducing the use of cash.”

José Antonio Peña Merino, head of the Digital Transformation and Telecommunications Agency (ATDT), also spoke at the press conference and explained that the new Digital Economy Law will help accelerate digital payments. He noted that the Mexican government has already begun efforts to reduce the use of cash in “strategic sectors” such as gas stations and toll booths.

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US Prohibits Unauthorized Drones Along US-Mexico Border

The Trump administration banned unauthorized drone activity along the U.S.-Mexico border on Oct. 16 to increase airspace security as it cracks down on drug cartel drone operations.

The ban, established through a temporary flight restriction for drones, was announced in a joint statement by the Department of War, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Transportation. Friday’s announcement comes as U.S. officials have warned that the United States faces thousands of drone incursions at the southern border each month.

The new temporary flight restriction took effect Friday and prohibits any unauthorized drones from operating up to 400 feet above ground level. The restriction extends one nautical mile north of the U.S.-Mexico border.

“The United States government will maintain 100% operational control of our border: land, air, and sea,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said in a statement. “For too long, cartels have taken advantage of gaps along our southern border. Thanks to President Donald J. Trump, those days are over.”

Friday’s joint announcement said the flight restriction for drones along the southern border builds upon the administration’s previous efforts to secure the border and defend against national security threats, such as illegal cartel operations. The departments said the restriction will reduce risks to continued border security operations.

Hegseth said that the Trump administration’s decision to restrict unauthorized drone activity will give U.S. commanders more awareness, increased decision space, and additional options to defend the country.

“Equipped with cutting-edge technology – including Directed Energy Weapons – our warfighters will shoot down any cartel drone that threatens America’s sovereignty,” he added.

In March 2024, Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that there were likely more than 1,000 drone incursions along the southern border each month. He described the number as “alarming.”

In August, Joint Task Force-Southern Border used the Army Multipurpose High Energy Laser to shoot down three drones linked to Mexican drug cartels, U.S. Northern Command said. The command said the drones were determined to be directly supporting activities that posed a physical threat to U.S. military personnel and U.S. Customs and Border Protection partners.

U.S. Northern Command later said in September the task force had taken down more than 300 unmanned aircraft systems since the start of this year by using both kinetic and non-kinetic systems.

Last month, Hegseth directed the Pentagon to take steps to accelerate the development and use of anti-drone systems across the U.S. military. He warned that American adversaries are quickly producing low-cost unmanned systems and are using them to conduct surveillance, cause disruptions, and carry out attacks.

The Trump administration also previously directed the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to expedite its rule-making process for establishing drone flight restrictions over sensitive locations.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Friday’s temporary flight restriction showed that the administration was doubling down on its promise to secure the U.S.-Mexico border by protecting U.S. airspace from threats posed by cartel drones and other illegal operations.

Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin said, “This action will help counter cartel drone threats, protect our personnel, and strengthen security in the airspace above the border.”

An official notice for airmen advisory will be published by the FAA. It will include links to the domestic notice and the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Data Delivery System.

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Mexico’s Regime in the United States

Since 2024, MORENA has formalized an abroad strategy aimed at expanding its organizational reach, influence, and contacts among Mexicans living in the United States. Its 2024-2027 plan calls for committees throughout the United States, five regional coordinating structures, affiliation and political-education efforts, and sustained engagement with Mexican consulates and the government institutions responsible for Mexicans abroad (Movimiento Regeneración Nacional, 2024).

Mexico’s legal and diplomatic framework draws a clear line between the Mexican state and partisan political activity abroad. The Ley del Servicio Exterior Mexicano defines the Mexican Service as a permanent body of public servants representing the Mexican state, not the governing party. It expressly requires those participating in Mexican diplomatic activity to observe principles including “political neutrality,” and Article 41 requires “Members of the Foreign Service to refrain from engaging in conduct of a partisan or electoral nature incompatible with the performance of their public duties, and from making statements that compromise the country’s interests” (Cámara de Diputados del H. Congreso de la Unión, 2018, arts. 1, 41). This is similar to that of international law. Article 55 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations requires consular personnel to respect the laws of the receiving state; imposes a duty not to interfere in its internal affairs; and provides that consular premises may not be used in a manner incompatible with consular functions (United Nations, 1963, art. 55).

Mexico emphasizes sovereignty and non-intervention while maintaining increasingly robust legal restrictions on foreign political and security activity, while MORENA and Mexican institutions operate extensively among Mexican communities in the United States. Under President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), Mexico enacted new restrictions and reporting requirements governing foreign security agents, including the DEA. Further, Mexican officials remained subject to reporting requirements for exchanges with foreign agents (Reuters, 2021). Mexico has recently adopted an electoral measure addressing foreign “intervention or interference” in elections, which former Mexican ambassador to the United States, Arturo Sarukhán, argues reflects a broader expansion of sovereignty-based restrictions on foreign involvement in Mexican political affairs (Sarukhán, 2026). Against that backdrop, the extensive activity of MORENA and Mexican state institutions among Mexican communities in the United States raises a narrower question of institutional reciprocity.

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Sinaloa Cartel Obtains State-of-the-Art Combat Attack Drones in Mexico

A recent seizure by Mexican authorities unmasked a new development in which the Sinaloa Cartel is now obtaining state-of-the-art combat attack drones similar to the ones being used in the Russia-Ukraine war. The issue comes at a time when social media videos have surfaced showing Sinaloa Cartel gunmen fighting in the war as a way to get trained in the newest attack drone technology.

The seizure took place this week near Mazatlan, Sinaloa, where authorities seized 15 high-end drones with fiber optic wires, headsets, and controls, as well as 42 improvised explosive devices. The seizure raised alarms within Mexico’s security forces since the type of drones seized are not the typical commercial drones used by cartels — already a major security concern.

Just one day after the initial seizure, Sinaloa state police forces seized 80 additional explosive devices that were made to be attached to drones.

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More Ukrainian-Style One-Way Attack Drones Seized In Mexico

The emergence of fiber-optic one-way attack drones among Mexican cartels signals a troubling security threat just south of the US border.

Images published by local outlet Luz Noticias show that the Mexican Army seized Category 1 suicide drones with fiber-optic cable reels and improvised explosives. This is sparking ongoing concerns that low-cost attack drones associated with the Ukraine-Russia war and the US-Iran conflict are spreading to narco-terrorists in the Western Hemisphere.

Mexican troops found 15 drones and more than 40 improvised explosive devices in the municipality of El Rosario during security patrols on Monday. The municipality is situated in southern Sinaloa.

Here’s what the outlet said:

During the inspection , Mexican Army personnel located and seized drones , drone controllers , fiber optic cables, batteries, improvised explosive devices , chargers, cartridges, long guns , tactical vests, and ballistic plates.

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NGO’s Expose Mexico’s Political Elite Over Stolen Money Destined For Children’s Cancer Medication

A group of private organizations filed a series of complaints with Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office accusing key members of Mexico’s ruling party of receiving stolen federal funds destined for pediatric cancer treatments. The groups claim theft of the missing funds led to the deaths of more than 5,000 children with cancer.

Those named in the complaint include Andres Lopez Beltran, the son of former Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, and his close business associates.

This week, the organizations Parents of Children with Cancer, De Corazon AC, and Fundacion Nicoatole went to the FGR where they filed a formal complaint against Lopez Beltran and Jorge Amilcar Olan, accusing them of genocide, murder, and organized crime.

In a prepared statement, the organizations point to a series of illegally obtained contracts by Amilcar Olan’s companies, which relied on Lopez Beltran’s connections and funneled millions in federal funding into ghost companies that allegedly embezzled the money. As a result of the scheme, thousands of children throughout Mexico went without cancer medicines, with over 5,000 of them dying, the statement alleges.

It remains unclear whether Mexican authorities will act on the complaint, since in recent months Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and her government have publicly defended Lopez Beltran and claimed he is not under investigation. This despite being publicly linked to large-scale cartel-fuel smuggling operations. As Breitbart Texas reported, the U.S. government revoked Lopez Beltran’s tourist visa and is reportedly investigating him over those allegations.

A series of news articles and statements from rival politicians in Mexico claim that Lopez Beltran relied on Amilcar Olan not only to move money from illegal fuel, but also to embezzle government funds through a series of government contracts moved into shell companies. Despite the allegations, Mexico’s government is also protecting Amilcar Olan, who has since fled the country and has been spotted living in Europe.

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NYC House Seat Goes To Mexico-First DSA Candidate Who Hails “Comrades” In Morena

A radical Democratic Socialists of America candidate who is poised to waltz into a deep-blue New York House seat used Mexican Independence Day to all but declare that she is Mexico First.

Claire Valdez, a card-carrying DSA member and New York State Assemblywoman who secured the Democrat nomination for the state’s 7th Congressional District, posted a tweet on X celebrating 215 years since Mexicans “fought an empire that demanded our land and our labor.” Valdez then went one step further, making the kind of declaration that should end the career of any Democrat or Republican who dared to utter something similar about a foreign country.

“I’ll carry that fight with me to Congress as New York’s first Mexican American representative,” Valdez wrote, before gushing that she is “strengthened not just by Mexico’s history but its present” and boasting about a meeting last month with her “comrades in Morena,” the leftist party that currently rules Mexico.

Valdez lauded left-wing radicals for “standing up to the empires and corporations that have always taken from us” and “building a government for the working class.” The DSA lawmaker capped off the post with a triumphant “¡Viva la Independencia, Viva México!”

Notably absent from Valdez’s message was any mention of cutting taxes for struggling New Yorkers, securing the southern border, or tackling the soaring grocery prices that have hammered working families. In their place was the rhetoric of a hard-left activist who apparently views the United States Congress as merely one more battlefield in a global class war, complete with “comrades” embedded in a foreign government. Valdez has claimed that she is “a dual citizen of Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Nation and the United States.”

Valdez’s tweet quickly ignited a firestorm of condemnation online.

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Mexican Politician Forces Military to Release Son-in-Law – Terrorist Cartel Figure

A Mexican politician from the country’s ruling party is believed to have used her influence to pressure the Mexican military to release her son-in-law. The man was the target of a raid focused on a terrorist cartel extortion operation in the border city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas.

The incident took place this weekend, when Mexican military forces arrested Gregorio Sauceda del Toro in connection with an operation targeting the Gulf Cartel’s extortion operations in Reynosa. The 35-year-old Sauceda is the son of the late Gregorio “Caramuela”, “Goyo” or “Metro2” Sauceda Gamboa, a top leader in the Gulf Cartel who was arrested in Matamoros in 2009 and is presumed dead.

As Breitbart Texas reported, in recent months and due to the slowdown of drug and migrant operations into Texas, the Gulf Cartel increased its extortion and kidnapping operations in cities like Matamoros, Reynosa, and Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas. As part of their operations, the Gulf Cartel threatens local businesses into only getting their supplies from cartel-approved vendors, as well as forcing them to pay a regular protection fee. The businessmen also have to sell a set number of cartel-bought items. This new tactic has moved the terrorist organization from drugs and migrants into controlling the sale of flowers, charcoal, meats, and other regular products.

Shortly after Sauceda Del Toro’s arrest, Mexican Congresswoman Eva Reyes reportedly used her political weight to get the military to release her son-in-law. The release is searchable in Mexico’s public security database, which tracks all federal-level arrests. In that document, Sauceda Del Toro appears as having been arrested by Mexico’s Army on Friday at 6:50 p.m. in the Jacinto Lopez neighborhood. The document also shows him as “released”.

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The Mexican Government Is Cutting Off Users Who Refuse to Register Their Phone Lines

The Mexican government and Mexican telecommunications companies have disconnected millions of phone lines belonging to citizens who failed to register their phones with their identities. The move comes just two months after the government announced a delay in the registration deadline due to less than half of the country complying.

In early September, Mexico’s Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (CRT) released a statement claiming that about 9.55 million phone numbers ending in “1” were registered. The CRT said about 1.9 million had been temporarily deactivated for failing to register on time. The agency claimed more than 1.16 million were reactivated after registration.

In June, the CRT announced a staggered extension for citizens to register their mobile phone lines with their identification. The new deadlines were based on the final digit of the phone number, with phone numbers ending in “0” given until August 15 to comply, numbers ending in “1” given until September 1, and so on until December 31.

While announcing the numbers for September 1 registration, the CRT reiterated its claimed purpose for linking phone numbers to individual identities, stating:

“This link seeks to eliminate anonymity on mobile lines to contribute to the fight against crimes committed through cell phones, such as fraud and extortion.”

However, since the cancellation of phone lines has begun, Mexican citizens have been posting on social media detailing their skepticism. They are increasingly concerned about how their data might be stored and who might have access to it.

These concerns are particularly prescient after numerous hacks of Mexican government databases, including one in late 2025 in which hackers used Claude AI to gain access to private information. As one user wrote:

“I’m really upset: because they didn’t register my line, they suspended my service and I was left without data. I paid for the phone, I pay the balance, and the service too. Why do I have to give more personal information just to use it? More citizen info doesn’t mean more security.”

Some users said they had registered in time, but were still disconnected.

“They suspended my line, my deadline hasn’t passed yet, the app says my line is already registered… and then what? I’ve been waiting for over two hours for a turn in the chat and on the phone and nothing, just a bot”

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Mexican Government Gets Egg on Face After Claims of Historic Raid on Cartel Fuel Theft Fall Apart

Mexico’s government has eggs on its face after it carried out a large-scale raid at a fuel depot and tried to pass it off as a historic cartel fuel-theft raid. The embarrassing news came amid the victory dance when the company that owns the fuel depot produced documents and receipts showing the depot was in legal standing and had all the needed permits.

The incident began on September 17, when Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office (FGR), along with Mexican federal security forces, raided a large fuel depot in the state of Guanajuato, seizing 59 million liters of diesel. Mexican authorities hyped up the raid, claiming that the large-scale fuel complex was clandestine in nature and illegal.

The following day, Mexico’s top security official Omar Garcia Harfuch gave a press conference where he announced the “historic seizure” and claimed that while no arrests were made during the raid, arrests of illegal fuel dealers would follow.

The move follows an apparent crackdown on illegal fuel that is either stolen or smuggled into the country in a practice known as huachicol- a colloquial term for dirty fuel.

Hours after the news conference, the fuel company GRUPO SIMSA issued a news release claiming that its fuel depot in San Jose Iturbide, Guanajuato, was in full legal standing and had been operating for nine years. In its statement, Grupo SIMSA listed several permit numbers from state and federal licensing agencies, including national security, environmental, soil use, and transportation entities, that had all signed off on the depot’s use. The company said it had turned over all the documents to federal authorities, but the public can search for them in publicly available state, federal, and local government databases.

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