Negotiating the Future of North America
Also in this edition: The Tabacalera neighborhood, between revolutionary splendor and modernity. One in 12 workers in the U.S. is Mexican. Iran: the beginning of the end for Trump?
Lea La Jornada Internacional en español aquí.
The start of formal negotiations to expand the free trade agreement between Mexico, the United States, and Canada is once again sparking debate in all three countries over the benefits and risks of trade and tariffs.
The Mexican government will propose maintaining the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) and eliminating all tariffs in the first round of negotiations with the United States. But not everyone agrees with more of the same. In November, Mexican farmers and truckers who blocked highways in several states demanded, among other things, removing grains from the USMCA and halting corn imports from the United States, Brazil, and Argentina. In the U.S., labor unions in the auto and steel sectors argue that the USMCA has not benefited industrial workers in either the United States or Mexico. Critics in the U.S. also point out that tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs continue to disappear, contrary to the promises made by President Donald Trump when he first negotiated the agreement.
But perhaps the biggest obstacle in this initial stage of negotiations to extend the trade deal is its own architect, who once described it as the best agreement in history: Trump. Practically from his first day back in the White House last year, he has arbitrarily imposed new tariffs and trade barriers among the three countries. His justifications range from drug trafficking and immigration to trade deficits and pressuring U.S. companies to move jobs from Mexico back to the United States. He has also used these economic measures to threaten punishment against partner countries if they do not comply with his political demands, for example, to stop oil shipments to Cuba.
In response to these pressures and uncertainties, President Claudia Sheinbaum is betting that U.S. companies will play a key role: “It stands to reason that most U.S. companies fully support the agreement, since both they and workers have benefited; moreover, we know that cooperation and economic integration—along with respect for our respective sovereignties—greatly benefit both countries’ economies.” In Mexico, 78.5 percent of representatives from sectors that participated in the first national consultation on renegotiating the USMCA support renewing it, according to Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard.
Despite its asymmetries, the agreement is vital and strategic for all three nations, argues José Murat. But José Romero points out that over three decades, free trade has deepened regional inequalities in Mexico. “While industrial zones in the north experienced growth thanks to the maquiladora model and trade integration, rural communities in the south face increasing marginalization. This imbalance has driven internal migration toward cities, accelerating disorganized urbanization and creating belts of poverty,” he writes.
There are also disagreements over the use of the USMCA’s labor mechanism. “What concerns me is that both workers and employers have been fighting against employer and government interference in union affairs. We know the history of corporatism and want to reduce it, but it seems a new kind of interference is emerging—this time from a foreign government in union matters,” explains Gabriel Tamariz, head of Labor Policy and Institutional Relations at the Labor Ministry.
Meanwhile, the Mexican government is working to speed up the renewal process. For example, the executive branch and Morena lawmakers are preparing a legal reform initiative that includes “a robust package against corruption and impunity” to meet one of the USMCA’s requirements.
These negotiations will be subject to the initiatives, and whims, of the U.S. president. It is unlikely that the Trump administration will conclude negotiations before the July deadline. Although this is not what Mexico wants, missing the deadline would not in itself affect the trade agreement.
“In any case, it is important to remain calm and ask whether, instead of rushing an agreement, it might be better for Mexico to let time pass while waiting for a less uncertain and gloomy political scenario in Washington,” La Jornada writes in an editorial. “What must be avoided, above all, is allowing Trump’s recklessness and volatility to lead to an unfavorable negotiation for our country.”
The Quote:
“If you love rock and roll and hate fascism, it’s time to create an antifascist earthquake, Mexico.”
—Tom Morello, during his performance in Mexico City last weekend.
In Case You Missed It
◻️ Your neighborhood: Tabacalera. This is where the Monument to the Revolution and Frontón México are located. The neighborhood’s name comes from a cigarette factory once housed in the building that now contains the San Carlos Museum. Another landmark is the El Moro building, headquarters of the National Lottery, considered one of Mexico City’s first skyscrapers. For a time, it was the tallest building in the capital, with 29 floors. This is part of an ongoing series about Mexico City neighborhoods.
◻️ A menu of freedom. Sabores de Libertad aims to “rehumanize the dehumanized” through gastronomy. The documentary series showcases a social reintegration project where prisoners learn to cook with chefs. “Here, crime isn’t punished—poverty is,” says Bruno, an inmate. “Between preparing mole verde, drowned flautas, desserts, even mextlapique, a dish with pre-Hispanic roots, and Middle Eastern food, incarcerated people share their experiences,” reports Fabiola Palapa Quijas.
◻️ One in 12 workers in the U.S. is Mexican. In 2025, workers of Mexican origin in the United States totaled nearly 19 million people, representing 11.6 percent of the workforce. Of the 163.5 million workers in the U.S. labor market, 31.3 million are immigrants, meaning about one in five workers is foreign-born.
◻️ A sad photograph: The Shield of the Americas. Luis Hernández Navarro writes that the image would have been unthinkable just a few years ago: leaders of 12 countries in the hemisphere with Trump at the forefront, “the Donroe Doctrine brought to life.” But it is also “sadly (…) the living image of the defeat of progressivism across the continent.”
◻️ AMLO joins solidarity with Cuba. Former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador joined thousands of Mexicans in showing solidarity with the Cuban people. Although Mexico’s government was forced to suspend oil shipments to the island under pressure from Washington, there has been widespread support for sending food, medicine, and basic necessities.
◻️ War on multiple fronts. The Palestinian ambassador to Mexico denounces ongoing massacres and famine in Gaza, as well as displacement and home seizures in the West Bank. “We have an obligation to confront genocide and occupation. We must prevent the method of total annihilation being carried out in Palestine today from becoming a model for other peoples in the future,” she says. Regarding Iran, there are growing questions within the administration, and some believe it could mark “the beginning of the end for Trump,” and La Jornada argues that “in addition to being a blatant violation of international law and involving multiple war crimes, the actions of Trump and Netanyahu against Iran could become the U.S. president’s political grave.”
◻️ Comics convention. Artists, illustrators, and graphic storytellers will gather at La Mole, Mexico’s largest comic convention, celebrating its 30th anniversary.
🎧 What We Are Listening To
Civil Rights soundtrack
Edited by David Brooks and Jim Cason in the United States, Tania Molina Ramírez in Mexico City, of La Jornada, and Elizabeth Coll in Tokyo, under the direction of Carmen Lira Saade and Guillermina Alvarez. More information.