Latest news with #USMexicoRelations
Washington Post
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
New US ambassador to Mexico formally arrives at time of busy binational agenda
MEXICO CITY — A former U.S. Army and CIA officer formally presented his credentials to Mexico's president Monday as the new United States ambassador to that country at a moment of increased U.S. pressure to fight the drug cartels and delicate trade negotiations. Amb. Ron Johnson, who served as ambassador to El Salvador during the first administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, met with President Claudia Sheinbaum at the National Palace along with his wife Alina Johnson. He left without making comments to the press.
Associated Press
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
New US ambassador to Mexico formally arrives at time of busy binational agenda
MEXICO CITY (AP) — A former U.S. Army and CIA officer formally presented his credentials to Mexico's president Monday as the new United States ambassador to that country at a moment of increased U.S. pressure to fight the drug cartels and delicate trade negotiations. Amb. Ron Johnson, who served as ambassador to El Salvador during the first administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, met with President Claudia Sheinbaum at the National Palace along with his wife Alina Johnson. He left without making comments to the press. A U.S. special forces veteran, Johnson formed a close bond with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, frequently appearing in the president's social media feed celebrating occasions outside of government functions. Johnson had been a U.S. military adviser in El Salvador during that country's civil war in the 1980s and pursued war criminals in the Balkans in the 1990s. His arrival in Mexico comes in the first year of Sheinbaum's presidency. She has shown greater willingness to take a harder stance against the country's powerful drug cartels than her predecessor and an ability to manage the sometimes erratic diplomacy of the Trump administration. Trump designated several Mexican cartels foreign terrorist organizations this year and U.S. prosecutors announced the first terrorism-related charges against people accused of working with the cartels last week. He has also announced and then suspended most tariffs on imports from Mexico. Immigration has been at the top of Trump's agenda, but the flow of migrants across the U.S. border that had already been falling in the final months of the Biden administration has slowed to a comparative trickle. Sheinbaum also recently announced that Mexico would increase the amount of water it sends to the Rio Grande in an attempt to make up a water debt to Texas farmers. The deadly wreck of a Mexican Navy tall ship with the Brooklyn Bridge Saturday adds one more binational issue to the relationship. Two sailors died and the incident is under investigation. ____ Follow AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at
Daily Mail
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Another world leader stunned to discover Trump has REVOKED visas for her and her husband
A second world leader has been notified that President Donald Trump 's administration revoked her and her husband's tourist visas. Marina del Pilar Avila, the governor of Mexico 's Baja California state, announced on Sunday that she and her husband, Carlos Torres, had been informed of the United States' consular measure. She did not provide any reason for the revocation in her X post, but Torres wrote on Facebook Saturday that it 'does not represent an accusation, investigation or formal incident by any authority, neither in Mexico nor in the United States.' Torres, who serves as the coordinator of special projects within the Baja California state administration and for the city of Tijuana, also claimed that the revocation is 'a measure that, as is with many people in similar contexts, responds to internal arrangements of the State Department. 'Currently, the application of these administrative criteria has become increasingly common and like so many others, I am included in that universe,' Torres told his followers. He went on to note that he has already contacted an international immigration lawyer 'who is evaluating the submission of a motion to reopen or reconsider the decisions or begin the process for a new visa application, in strict adherence to official channels.' 'I make this information public with responsibility and transparency, not only to avoid speculation, but also to limit political opponents' misuse of this situation,' Torres wrote, adding: 'Believe me: these are people without limits or scruples, willing to turn any fact into slander if they think it will give them an advantage.' 'Throughout my public life, I have acted out of respect for the law and [am] fully aware of the commitment I serve,' Torres concluded as he vowed that the situation 'will be handled with seriousness and confidence in legal procedures.' Pilar Avila also stood by her man in her post on X, saying he 'has always acted with integrity, dedication and a deep commitment to Baja California. 'My support for him isn't just personal, it's moral and political,' she wrote. 'Because I know who he is and because he has always stood up and taken responsibility for things that aren't his.' She also noted that 'this situation is taking place in a complex binational context that requires my composure and prudence.' Still, the Baja California governor said she has full confidence 'that the situation will be satisfactorily clarified for both of us.' The dramatic move to revoke her and her husband's visas comes just weeks after Pilar Avila took a trip to San Diego to promote tourism in Mexico, according to KUSI. It now remains unclear what may have provoked the US State Department to revoke their visas. However, the move comes as the Trump administration cracks down on who can obtain visas. In March, Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent diplomats overseas a directive to scrutinize the social media content of any visa applicant in an effort to bar those suspected of criticizing the US or Israel from entering the country, according to the New York Times. His order specifically stated that applicants can be denied visas if their behavior or actions show they bear 'a hostile attitude toward US citizens or US culture (including government, institutions or founding principles).' Then on April 30, Rubio announced he was implementing a 'one-strike' policy for all temporary visa holders in a document marking Trump's first 100 days in office. He declared that 'a visa is a privilege, not a right,' and noted that under the Immigration and Nationality act, any noncitizen who 'endorses or espouses terrorist activity or persuades others to endorse or espouse terrorist activity or support a terrorist organization' is not welcome into the country. 'There is now a one-strike policy: Catch and Revoke,' Rubio wrote. 'Whenever the government catches non-US citizens breaking our laws, we will take action to revoke their status. 'The time of contemptuously taking advantage of our nation's generosity ends,' he concluded.
