(Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, 16.Sep.2024, Words: 3,670) — Mexico remains one of the United States’ closest and most valued partners, with a 2,000-mile shared border containing 47 active land ports of entry, and a shared history that has established deep cultural and people-to-people ties over 200 years of diplomatic relations.
This bilateral relationship directly impacts the lives and livelihoods of millions of Americans on issues as varied as trade and economic development, education exchange, citizen security, drug control, migration, human trafficking, entrepreneurship, innovation, environmental protection, climate change, and public health. The broad scope of relations between the United States and Mexico extends beyond official government to government relations to encompass extensive daily commercial, cultural, and educational exchange. Each day, hundreds of thousands of people cross both sides of the border legally to work, live, or visit close relatives and friends. In addition, an estimated 1.6 million U.S. citizens live in Mexico and Mexico is the top foreign destination for U.S. travelers.
Bilateral Economic Issues and the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement
Mexico was the United States’ top goods trading partner in 2023 with total two-way goods trade at $807bn, surpassing China. In comparison, U.S. goods trade with Canada totaled $782bn, while trade with China totaled $576bn. Our countries rely on closely integrated supply chains to power our economies and strengthen our global competitiveness. U.S. exports supported an estimated 1.1 million jobs in 2019 (latest data available).
U.S. merchandise exports to Mexico increased from $42bn in 1993 (the year before NAFTA’s entry into force) to $322bn in 2023. In 2023, Mexico remained the second-largest source of foreign crude oil to the United States, as well as the top destination for U.S. petroleum product exports and U.S. natural gas. Other major U.S. exports to Mexico include motor vehicle parts, semiconductors and other electronic components, basic chemicals, and computer equipment. U.S. Department of Commerce data shows that the United States holds the largest stock of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Mexico, with a total of $144.5bn in 2023 (latest year available). Mexican FDI in the United States stood at $38.3bn in 2023, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).
The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) entered into force on 1 Jul. 2020. The USMCA supports mutually beneficial trade leading to freer markets, fairer trade, and robust economic growth in North America. The agreement generates job opportunities, supports agricultural trade, incentivizes new investments in vital manufacturing industries, prohibits imports produced with forced labor, and includes important obligations regarding worker protections, the environment, and intellectual property rights protections.
To comply with USMCA, Mexico overhauled its labor justice system and USMCA includes a Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) to address labor disputes related to denial of rights at specific facilities. As of the end of July 2024, the United States has sought Mexico’s review of denials of labor rights in 25 cases under the RRM. Twenty-one cases have resulted in successful resolutions, directly benefiting over 36,000 workers, and providing over $5 million in backpay and benefits. The USMCA requires a formal review of the agreement at least every six years – the first is scheduled for 2026. These periodic reviews are designed to ensure that the terms of the agreement remain beneficial for all parties and to identify emerging issues for potential revisions. The agreement is set to terminate on 1 Jul. 2036, but can be extended for an additional 16 years by all three countries after each review. Mexico maintains 13 trade agreements with 50 countries plus 32 investment promotion agreements, and nine limited economic agreements, including pacts with Japan, the European Union, and many Latin American partners.
On 29 Sep. 2023, senior government officials from the United States and Mexico met in Washington, D.C. for the U.S.-Mexico High-Level Economic Dialogue (HLED). This was followed on 19 Apr. 2024, by an Under Secretary-level HLED Mid-Year Review. The United States and Mexico have worked through the HLED since 2021 to further regional economic integration and strengthen supply chain resilience; improve border conditions to facilitate travel and legal trade; expand trade in medical equipment; promote sustainable economic and social development in southern Mexico and northern Central America; catalyze future prosperity by supporting regulatory compatibility in the information and communication technology and infrastructure sectors; support micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) development; and equip our workforces with the skills to succeed in the modern global economy. The Department of Commerce, the Department of State, and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative co-chair the annual cabinet-level dialogue. Periodic HLED updates are published at www.trade.gov/hled, where stakeholders may submit input.The United States and Mexico maintain extensive science and technology cooperation, with collaborative research on health, meteorology, hydrology, earth sciences, and energy technology facilitated by the 1972 Agreement on Scientific and Technical Cooperation. U.S. science agencies such as NOAA, NSF, NIST, NIH, USGS, NASA, and DOE contribute to a solid body of bilateral scientific research. In 2021, Mexico joined in signing the Artemis Accords with NASA, as of June 2024 with 43 signatories, the accord outlines the principles and rules to enhance governance of the responsible exploration of outer space.
Migration
The United States works with Mexico to address the root causes of irregular migration, promote lawful pathways, and implement humane migration management policies that prioritize control and security for our respective borders, respect for the human rights of migrants, and access to international protection for those in need. Mexico is a member of the Regional Conference on Migration (RCM), an eleven-member consultative mechanism to coordinate regional migration policies. RCM member countries commit to addressing issues of international migration in a multilateral context that respects orderly movements and human rights. Mexico also participates in the Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Framework, known by its Spanish acronym MIRPS — a regional application of the Global Compact for Refugees wherein countries collaborate to prevent and respond to forced displacement within their borders and regionally. The United States supports MIRPS efforts as a member and chair of its parallel donor Support Platform and with humanitarian funding contributions through international organizations.
The United States and Mexico have expanded cooperation to address the root causes of irregular migration and manage our shared border in a humane and orderly way through the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection. The U.S. government supports international organization and NGO partners to respond to the needs of asylum seekers, refugees, internally displaced persons, and vulnerable migrants in Mexico. With USG funds, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) assisted the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance (COMAR) to increase its asylum case registration and processing capacity by 400 percent since 2018. The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) builds the capacity of Mexico’s border and migration officials to humanely manage migration and to coordinate with Mexican and U.S. law enforcement to secure borders. INL programming also increases the capacity of Mexican security and justice sector institutions to identify, investigate, and prosecute migrant smuggling and human trafficking. The United States and Mexico have partnered to address the root causes of irregular migration in southern Mexico and northern Central America since the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (AMEXCID) and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) launched “Sembrando Oportunidades,” a strategic collaboration, in December 2021 as a framework for development cooperation to address the root causes of irregular migration from Central America. This collaboration has built upon AMEXCID’s “Sembrando Vida” and “Jóvenes Construyendo el Futuro” projects in El Salvador and Honduras and USAID’s complementary youth employment and agriculture projects in Central America. As of December 2023, Sembrando Oportunidades in Honduras and El Salvador has benefited 3,300 farmers and young people. In late 2023, USAID and AMEXCID extended their work under Sembrando Oportunidades to Guatemala, to benefit Guatemalan farmers. USAID and AMEXCID have extended their cooperation in Honduras to include Global Affairs Canada, which is expanding positive impacts in the region for women and youth. In southern Mexico, USAID works with state and municipal governments, small rural and Indigenous communities, and businesses to create jobs, sales, investment, and positive environmental impacts. Over the last two years, USAID mobilized over $33 million in economic development investments, improving economic opportunities for over 30,000 people in southern Mexico.
U.S.-Mexico Border
The border region represents a combined population of approximately 15 million people. Cooperation between the United States and Mexico along the border includes coordinating with federal, state, and local officials on cross-border infrastructure, transportation planning, and security as well as collaboration with institutions that address migration, natural resource, environment, and health issues.
In Nov. 2021, President Biden signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, a historic investment in U.S. infrastructure that included approximately $1.4 billion for construction and modernization projects at land ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border. During their Jul. 2022 meeting, Presidents Biden and Lopez Obrador reaffirmed their commitment to create borders that are more resilient, more efficient, and safer and that will enhance our shared commerce. The joint effort seeks to align priorities, unite border communities, and make the flow of commerce and people more secure and efficient. Mexico committed to invest $1.5bn on border infrastructure between 2022 and 2024.
In 2010, the United States and Mexico created the 21st Century Border Management Process (21CB) to spur binational advancements to promote a modern, secure, and efficient border. High-level representatives from the U.S. and Mexican governments meet annually in the 21CB Executive Steering Committee (ESC) to adopt action plans that guide bilateral efforts to modernize and expand ports of entry along the shared border; facilitate the flow of trade and travelers between the two countries; and strengthen cooperation on public safety in the border region. The 21CB ESC most recently convened in January 2024 in Washington, DC.
The U.S. and Mexican governments also meet through the multi-agency Binational Bridges and Border Crossings Group (BBBXG) to advance joint initiatives that improve the efficiency of existing crossings and coordinate planning for new ones. The BBBXG meets three times a year and provides the ten U.S. and Mexican border states, private sector representatives, and other public participants a forum to discuss cross-border infrastructure. The BBBXG also discusses many federal, state, and local mechanisms that impact the border region, including Border Master Plans to coordinate infrastructure and development and close collaboration on transportation and customs issues. The most recent BBBXG meeting took place in March 2024 in Mexico City, Mexico.
The United States and Mexico also have a long history of cooperation on environmental and natural resource issues, particularly in the border area, where there are challenges caused by rapid population growth, urbanization, industrialization, and climate change. Cooperative activities between the United States and Mexico take place under several mechanisms, such as the North American Development Bank; the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation; the Border Health Commission; and a variety of other agreements that address health of border residents, wildlife, migratory birds, national parks, and similar issues.
The International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), created by a treaty between the United States and Mexico, manages a wide variety of water resource and boundary preservation issues. The U.S. and Mexican Sections of the IBWC work closely to distribute treaty-stipulated portions of water from the Rio Grande and Colorado River to both countries. The IBWC also works to mitigate and prevent cross-border flows of untreated wastewater. In that capacity, the U.S. Section of IBWC is one of the Environmental Protection Agency’s lead partners in planning and implementing construction of major wastewater infrastructure – particularly in the Tijuana-San Diego area – under a $300mn appropriation provided as part of the USMCA implementation act.
U.S. Security Cooperation with Mexico
Security is a shared responsibility. Neither country can be secure if the other is not. Cooperation between Mexico and the United States has never been more vital in the fight to combat the deadly threat of illicit fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and other drugs. We are committed to cooperating with Mexico to better protect the health and safety of our citizens and promote the development of the most vulnerable communities in both countries; to prevent criminal organizations from harming our countries; and to pursue criminals and bring them to justice.
The United States partners with Mexico to reduce the impact of illicit drugs on U.S. and Mexican communities, dismantle criminal organizations, reduce irregular migration, improve citizen security, reduce criminal impunity, combat illicit arms trafficking, and promote human rights and the rule of law. U.S.-funded training, equipment, and technical assistance complement Mexico’s own investment in building the capacity of Mexican institutions and personnel to achieve these goals.
Through the Bicentennial Framework for Security, Public Health, and Safe Communities, adopted at the 2021 High-Level Security Dialogue, the United States and Mexico are increasing joint efforts to combat production of synthetic and other illicit drugs; working to better understand and reduce drug demand; increasing drug interdictions; pursuing the illicit financial flows that fund transnational criminal organizations; working to prosecute and convict transnational criminal organizations; and reducing the amount of illicit firearms, bulk cash, and other illicit goods crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. Because of this collaboration, the shared border is more secure, information sharing is more fluid, and both countries benefit from professionally trained officials and state-of-the-art equipment to confront transnational crime. On 5 Oct. 2023, the third High-Level Security Dialogue was hosted in in Mexico City, followed by an 13 Oct. 2023, meeting of cabinet and other senior officials from the United States and Mexico to evaluate the progress made through the Bicentennial Framework, and discuss new plans, programs, and actions to protect our people, prevent transborder crime, and pursue criminal networks.
The United States and Mexico partner to combat transnational organized crime and drug trafficking while strengthening human rights and the rule of law. Between 2008 and 2024, the United States appropriated approximately $3.4bn in equipment, training, and capacity building for Mexican justice and law enforcement sectors. Security cooperation between U.S. and Mexican law enforcement agencies helps police, prosecutors, and judges share best practices and expand capacity to track criminals, precursor chemicals, drugs, arms, and money to disrupt transnational crime.
Educational and Cultural Exchanges
The United States has a robust series of educational and cultural programs with Mexico that support young leaders, students, civil society, and entrepreneurs. They provide English language learning, advance STEAM education, identify and advise on U.S. higher education opportunities, strengthen civil society, enhance security procedures, preserve cultural patrimony, and expand economic opportunity. They include music and sports diplomacy such as the International Sports Programming Initiative, Sports Visitor and Sports Envoy programs, the Global Sports Mentoring Program, and the e-sports leadership program for youth; the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation; the Academy of Women Entrepreneurs; the U.S. Speaker Program; leadership programs such as Jóvenes en Acción (Youth in Action); the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative; the Study of the U.S. Institutes program which includes courses targeting indigenous and Afro-Mexican women; Arts Envoy and American Music Abroad programming focused on engagement with underserved communities; the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), the TechCamp Program, and English language opportunities for teachers and learners through such high-demand initiatives as the English Access Microscholarship, Online Professional English Network (OPEN), and English Language Virtual Educator, Fellow & Specialist programs. There are over 40,000 alumni of U.S. government-funded or sponsored exchange programs.
Mission Mexico manages a network of seven American Spaces, open-access learning and gathering places that promote interaction among local audiences and the United States in Mexico. Established in 1942, the Benjamin Franklin Library is considered one of the premier USG-operated American Spaces in the world and continues to have strong historic ties to the city and community. The other six American Spaces are hosted in partner locations in Chihuahua, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Monterrey, and Tuxtla Gutierrez.
The American Spaces implement a series of activities and programs throughout the year that advance foreign policy, support civil society, encourage international exchanges, develop English language skills, promote economic prosperity and foster entrepreneurship. In Apr. 2023, the American Spaces in Mexico received $50,000 from Amazon through the ECA Public Private Partnerships office.
EducationUSA has 23 advising centers throughout Mexico, which provide free and unbiased information on U.S. higher education opportunities to Mexican students. Mexico is the ninth highest source worldwide of international students to the United States (and the sixth highest source to U.S. community colleges). Mexico is the twelfth highest study abroad destination worldwide for U.S. students. The EducationUSA Opportunity Funds program assists highly qualified Mexican students who are likely to be awarded full financial aid from U.S. colleges and universities but lack the financial resources to cover the up-front costs to apply, such as testing, application fees, or airfare. Many of these students receive offers of admission and generous scholarships from U.S. higher education institutions.
The Fulbright Program in Mexico is one of the largest in the region. Since 1948, nearly 6,000 students, scholars, and teachers have received Fulbright awards, and many have risen to prominent positions in business, academics, culture, and politics. The binational Fulbright Commission, COMEXUS — the U.S.-Mexico Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchange — was established in 1990 via an agreement between both governments. Funding to support Fulbright-COMEXUS exchange programs comes from annual contributions from the Department of State (e.g. ECA) and Mexico (e.g. SRE and SEP). In keeping with the binational spirit of the program, since 1992, all Fulbright grants administered by the Commission are referred to as Fulbright-Garcia Robles grants, in honor of Mexican Ambassador Emeritus and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Alfonso Garcia Robles.
Mexico is also a significant participant in BridgeUSA, a cultural and educational program that offers exchanges in 13 different categories. Mexico is one of the few countries with post-pandemic levels of participation greater than before COVID-19. In 2019, 9,808 Mexicans started new programs, while 10,339 started new programs in 2020. Currently, there are 14,183 active exchange visitors from Mexico participating in BridgeUSA. The three categories with the most exchange visitors are Summer Work Travel (5,501), Camp Counselor (3,221), and Au Pair (2,838).
The Jóvenes en Acción exchange is a partnership between the Department of State, the Mexican Secretariat of Public Education (Secretaría de Educación Pública), the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, and the embassy’s private partners. Since 2010, ECA and Mission Mexico have brought nearly 900 high school students from Mexico to the United States for a four-week exchange program focused on leadership development, civic engagement, and community service. The exchange participants apply in groups of three to four with a teacher who serves as a mentor when they return home to help students implement a service project to address an issue plaguing their community, such as violence, substance abuse, climate change, or cybersecurity.
Training students is essential to making them competitive and prepared for the demands of the 21st-century workforce and the economic development of Mexico and the United States. To that end, the Department of State’s signature hemisphere-wide education initiative – 100,000 Strong in the Americas – creates interregional networks to strengthen institutional capacity and catalyze student development and mobility via new models of innovative education exchange and training opportunities. The 100K Strong Innovation Fund is the mechanism and trusted U.S. Government-branded collaboration between the Department of State, U.S. embassies, and regional private, public, and academic sectors to support 100K Strong competitions that benefit and engage underserved students in the U.S. and the rest of the Western Hemisphere, including Mexico.
In under ten years (2014-2023), Mexico became a leader in 100K Strong partnerships between a diverse array of U.S. colleges/universities and Mexican higher education institutions (HEIs). To date, the 100K Strong Innovation Fund has provided 84 grants ($25,000 each) to 120 teams of HEIs in 28 U.S states and 23 Mexican states to increase student exchange and workforce development training programs STEM, public health, technology, financial inclusion, agriculture/food sciences, logistics, and business development. The Mexican private sector has thus far contributed close to $1,900,000 in the last eight years to increase bilateral exchanges via the 100K Strong initiative. In addition, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City and Department of State are working with public and private sectors in Mexico and in Canada to launch the first ever 100,000 Strong in the Americas (100K Strong) “North America” grant competition by November 2023 that would expand innovation, inclusion, and climate-focused student/faculty exchange programs between higher education institutions in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
The year 2020 marked the 50th anniversary of the signing of the U.S.-Mexico treaty on the recovery and return of stolen archaeological, historical, and cultural properties. This was the first international treaty related to cultural property trafficking. Predating the UNESCO 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, this treaty demonstrates both countries’ leadership on this topic. Through the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP), the United States has awarded $1.9mn in grants since 2002 for eleven projects to preserve Mexico’s cultural heritage. Since 2019, the Cultural Property Agreement Implementation Grant (CPAIG) program has awarded Mexico grants for two projects totaling $240,000.
Mexico’s Membership in International Organizations
Mexico remains a leader and strong supporter of the United Nations and several regional organizations. For instance, Mexico was elected to a 2021-2023 seat on the UN Economic and Social Council. Mexico and the United States belong to several of the same international organizations, including the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, Inter-American Development Bank, International Energy Agency, International Maritime Organization, International Monetary Fund, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Organization of American States, World Bank, Wassenaar Arrangement on conventional arms, and the World Trade Organization.
The United States, Mexico, and Canada collaborate through the North American Leaders’ Summit, revived in 2021, and through the 2022 Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection, endorsed by 21 countries in the hemisphere.
Mexico is one of 12 founding members of the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity, an initiative that launched in 2023 at an inaugural summit at the White House that focuses on driving regional competitiveness to foster inclusive, sustainable, shared prosperity.
Bilateral Representation
The Department’s Key Officers List includes principal U.S. embassy and consulate officials in Mexico.
Mexico maintains an embassy in the United States at 1911 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20006 (tel. 202-728-1600).
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