International
Sheinbaum: Mexico will collaborate so that fentanyl does not reach the US and that there is dialogue
The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, led this Sunday a public assembly in the Zócalo of Mexico City, attended by thousands of people, in which she assured that her country will continue to collaborate to prevent drugs, and especially fentanyl, from reaching the United States.
In addition, she said she was convinced that “the relationship between Mexico and the United States must be good, of respect and that dialogue will always prevail.”
“I tell the American people that we have and will not have any intention of harming them and that we are determined to collaborate with them in all areas. Especially given the concern they have about the serious problem of synthetic drug consumption,” he said.
“For humanitarian reasons, Mexico will continue to collaborate to prevent fentanyl from reaching young Americans (…) Not only do we not want that drug to reach young people in the United States, but it does not reach anywhere in the world or young Mexicans,” he added.
He said that “it is essential to attend to the consumption of narcotics from the root of the addiction.”
Sheinbaum specified that, according to the United States Customs and Border Protection, between October 2024 and January 2025 the crossing of fentanyl from Mexico to the United States decreased by 50% and from January to February 2025 by another 41%.
He also pointed out that just as there is a strategy to prevent the crossing of drugs to the United States, “we have proposed to the Government of the United States that it must be implemented so that high-powered weapons stop arriving in our country.”
In what she called an “Informative Assembly”, the Mexican president explained to her thousands of supporters, governors of the country’s states, businessmen and politicians, the agreement reached last Thursday with her American counterpart, Donald Trump, to pause for a month the threat of tariffs on Mexican products.
“We must thank the willingness of the president of the United States to dialogue with Mexico. There are some people who are not interested in a good relationship between our peoples and governments, but I am sure that with information and respectful dialogue we can always achieve a relationship of respect. So far it has been like this,” he said.
He said that being neighboring countries “we have the responsibility to collaborate and coordinate,” Sheinbaum recalled that last Tuesday, March 4, Trump imposed taxes of 25% on exports from Mexico to the United States, but after a call on Thursday, the measure was postponed to April 2.
“We are optimistic because that day, April 2, the United States Government has announced that it will impose reciprocal tariffs on all countries of the world, if any country charges you for its exports, the United States will do it too, that’s what they have said,” he explained.
“Nothing more than Mexico is not in that area, because for 30 years we have signed two trade treaties, with which it is established that we do not have tariffs with them, nor do they with us, that is, reciprocal tariffs would not have to be applied because there are practically no tariffs from Mexico to the United States.”
The trade agreements to which Sheinbaum referred are the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the current Treaty between Mexico, the United States and Canada (T-MEC).
He recalled that since the signing of the T-MEC “it was conceived that this was the only option to successfully face the competition that means the economic and commercial advance of Asian countries.”
“Our proposal has even been that we not only integrate North America, but also from now on the economic and commercial integration of the entire continent, becoming the most powerful region in the world without exclusions, with prosperity and with respect for freedom, independence and sovereignty of all peoples and nations,” said Sheinbaum.
The Mexican president said that we must “always have dialogue as the option and so far it has given results (…) we are not extremists, but we are very clear that there are inalienable principles. We cannot give in to our sovereignty.”
He recalled that Mexico and the United States share a border of 3,180 kilometers (…) we cooperate in commercial, economic, friendship and we have families on both sides of the border. Our peoples contribute culturally on both sides of the border.”
He said that about 38 million Mexicans live in the United States, of which two-thirds are born in the United States.
He also pointed out that Mexico has developed a strategy to address the migratory phenomenon “without violating human rights starting with the right to life” and that the most humane way to address this phenomenon is by promoting development to prevent people from migrating out of necessity.
International
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.
During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.
“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.
“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”
Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.
On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.
International
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
he Vatican’s post offices and select collector shops began selling special edition stamps this week to mark the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor.
Known as “Sede Vacante” stamps, they feature an image used on official Vatican documents during the interregnum between popes — two crossed keys without the papal tiara. These stamps went on sale Monday and will remain valid for postal use only until the new pontiff appears at the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.
Until then, they can be used to send letters, postcards, and parcels. “Once the new pope is elected, the stamps lose their postal validity, but their collectible value rises,” said Francesco Santarossa, who runs a collectors’ shop across from St. Peter’s Square.
The Vatican has issued the stamps in four denominations: €1.25, €1.30, €2.45, and €3.20. Each is inscribed with “Città del Vaticano” and “Sede Vacante MMXXV” — Latin for “Vacant See 2025.”
International
Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
The conclave, which in the coming weeks must choose the successor to Pope Francis, will strictly follow a precise protocol refined over centuries.
The 135 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will cast their votes four times a day — except on the first day — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The result will be announced to the world through the burning of the ballots with a chemical that produces the eagerly awaited white smoke, accompanied by the traditional cry of “Habemus Papam.”
The start date for the conclave could be announced today, as the cardinals are set to hold their fifth meeting since the pope’s passing. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich suggested it could begin on May 5 or 6, following the traditional nine days of mourning. According to German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the conclave could last only “a few days.”
Although the late Argentine pontiff appointed the majority of the cardinal electors, this does not necessarily ensure the selection of a like-minded successor. Francis’ leadership style differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian who was less fond of large public gatherings. It also marked a contrast with the popular Polish pope, John Paul II.
The Argentine Jesuit’s reformist papacy drew strong criticism from more conservative sectors of the Church, who are hoping for a doctrinally focused shift. His tenure was marked by efforts to combat clerical sexual abuse, elevate the role of women and laypeople, and advocate for the poor and migrants, among other causes.
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
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