International
Uncertainty about Trump’s tariffs is sharpening in the heart of the Mexican maquila
Uncertainty is exacerbated on the northern border of Mexico as one week has been completed by the tariffs of the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, which unsettles, in particular, Ciudad Juárez, the epicenter of the Mexican maquila.
Data from the Association of Maquiladoras and Exporters of Ciudad Juárez (AMAC) show that about 70% of local exports go to the US market, which makes the city, bordering the US El Paso, Texas, especially vulnerable to trade restrictions.
In addition, Juárez hosts more than 300 maquiladoras, which employ about 300,000 people to produce everything from medical devices to auto parts.
Therefore, “the border would be the most affected” with the 25% tariffs that Trump announced last week, “with the loss of jobs, probably with factory closures, probably with high inflationary costs,” said Martha Bárcena, former ambassador of Mexico to the United States (2018-2021).
“So the main stakeholders are the entire border strip in which there is not this trade war, but on the contrary that there is cooperation, as the president (Claudia Sheinbaum) has said. Without a doubt, it is a difficult scenario that has been seen today,” he said in an interview.
Threat of tariffs: risks on both sides of the Mexico-US border.
Trump shook the region’s economy by announcing on Monday of last week that one of his first executive orders will be to impose tariffs of 25% on “all products” of Mexico and Canada, until the “invasion” of illegal migrants and drugs, in particular fentanyl, is “stopped.
The president of Mexico trusted last Friday that there will be no tariffs after talking on the phone with Trump, while the Mexican government argues that the United States would lose 400,000 jobs and suffer from inflation, such as an additional 3,000 dollars per van, for example.
Economist Alejandro Sandoval Murillo, president of the Mexican Institute of Finance Executives (IMEF) in Juárez, told EFE that “tariffs are a tax that is placed to import, affecting the price of the product and making it less competitive in the face of existing alternatives.”
“The question of imposing tariffs on Mexico is whether (in the United States) they have alternatives to Mexican production, which is obviously not China, because China is the main problem. In that sense, if there is not, the American consumer will have to absorb that tariff and the damage is for them,” he warned.
Impact on small entrepreneurs and consumers
Although the most immediate impact is felt in large industries, small entrepreneurs also face challenges.
“Chihuahua is fundamental in those border states because, besides, Texas is our first trading partner. With them we trade more than 216 billion dollars a year. So I think we should seek that renewed dialogue between the governor of Texas (Greg Abbott) and the governor of Chihuahua (María Eugenia Campos),” Bárcena said.
For workers, uncertainty is also palpable in the face of possible low wages and challenging working conditions.
“The fact that consumers stop spending so much will cause company closures. That is the type of consequences that can begin to occur if, and only if, things evolve negatively, tariffs, reactions, reprisals, etc., towards a negative direction,” Sandoval Murillo warned.
In the face of the adverse scenario, local and federal authorities have tried to mitigate the effects of tariffs through tax incentives and support programs for affected companies.
But many entrepreneurs consider these measures to be insufficient in the face of the impact of US trade policies.
“Because neither government can afford that luxury (of tariffs) and emphatically the Mexican government cannot under any reason. But the Mexican government I don’t mean (only) the federal one. This is a joint work between the subnational, state and municipal, along with the federal,” the economist concluded.
Central America
International tourism brings over $2.2 billion to El Salvador in 2025
International tourism has generated more than $2.2 billion in foreign exchange for the Salvadoran economy during the first seven months of 2025, according to the Ministry of Tourism (Mitur).
Tourism Minister Morena Valdez stated on Thursday that this figure reflects a favorable development of the tourism sector so far this year.
“Over $2.2 billion by July, and we estimate more than $3 billion in foreign exchange by December 2025. I believe we will perform quite well,” Valdez said in an interview with Frente a Frente.
These figures do not include the 91,000 international tourists received during the August holidays, who contributed $60 million to the local economy, according to the government.
The accumulated results by July represent 73.3% of Mitur’s estimates for foreign exchange generated by international tourism in 2025.
During the same period, tourism authorities recorded 2.3 million international visitors, which is 57.5% of the more than 4 million visitors projected by the government by the end of 2025.
Authorities have recently adjusted the tourism target: at the beginning of the year, Mitur anticipated 4.2 million visitorsafter receiving 3.9 million in the previous year.
International
Tabasco ex-officials linked to drug trafficking spark Mexico-U.S. tensions
The scandal involving two former state officials from Tabasco, southeast Mexico, linked to drug trafficking and now fugitives, has added tension to Mexico-U.S. relations, which had already been strained by President Donald Trump’s threats to send troops across the border to target cartels.
At the center of the controversy is the current coordinator of the Mexican Senate, former governor of Tabasco, and former Secretary of the Interior, Adán Augusto López Hernández, a close ally of former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador (2018–2024), along with his then-security secretary, Hernán Bermúdez Requena.
According to the Mexican weekly Proceso, published two weeks ago, the criminal ties of the former officials were reported in 2022 by Mexican intelligence services during López Obrador’s administration when López Hernández was Secretary of the Interior.
Bermúdez Requena, known as ‘El Comandante H’, was appointed Secretary of Security in Tabasco in 2019 by then-governor Adán Augusto López Hernández, from the ruling Morena party, and is accused of being a leader of the criminal group ‘La Barredora’, a cell linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
On July 22, Mexico’s Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, confirmed that a warrant and Interpol red notice had been issued against Bermúdez Requena, who had been under investigation since 2024 for his links to organized crime.
International
Pope Leo XIV marks first 100 days with prudence and diplomacy
On August 14, Pope Leo XIV reaches his first 100 days as pontiff, a period marked by prudence, a reserved profile, and a strong inclination toward Vatican diplomacy. Since his election on May 8, the U.S.-born pope, who will turn 70 in September, has avoided major structural decisions, choosing instead to observe and listen before acting.
Among the most visible changes compared to his predecessor, Pope Francis, is a return to liturgical tradition: he has resumed wearing the red mozzetta, white pants under the cassock, and residing in the Apostolic Palace. He has also reinstated the Corpus Christi procession through the streets of Rome and resumed vacations at Castel Gandolfo.
So far, Robert Prevost has appointed only his personal secretary, leaving adjustments within the Roman Curia for later. Experts, such as Andrea Riccardi, founder of the Community of Sant’Egidio, suggest that the pope should not be judged by immediate breaks or continuities with Francis, but rather by his long-term leadership style.
Ines San Martín of the U.S. Pontifical Mission Societies notes that Leo XIV “has spent these months listening more than speaking” and anticipates the first personnel changes may come in September. His style, inspired by Saint Augustine, emphasizes spiritual life, friendship within community, and charity.
On the international stage, the pontiff has reinforced his image as a mediator. He sent Cardinal Robert Sarah to official events, offered the Vatican as a venue for peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, spoke with Vladimir Putin, and received Volodymyr Zelensky twice. He has also condemned attacks in Gaza and reiterated his call to halt armed conflicts, rearmament, and the environmental crisis.
With a balance between tradition and prudence, Pope Leo XIV faces the next stage of his pontificate with expectations that his first strategic decisions will arrive in the coming months.
International tourism brings over $2.2 billion to El Salvador in 2025
Tabasco ex-officials linked to drug trafficking spark Mexico-U.S. tensions
Pope Leo XIV marks first 100 days with prudence and diplomacy
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