From 1991 to 1995, Mario Delgado studied at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) in Mexico City, earning a bachelor’s in economics. After that Delgado studied at the University of Essex, in England, from 1996 to 1997, earning a master’s degree in economics.
When Marcelo Ebrard served as mayor of Mexico City from 2006 to 2012, Mario Delgado served in the Mexico City government as Secretary of Finance (2006-2010) and Secretary of Education (2010-2012).
From 2012 to 2018, Delgado was a senator in the Mexican Congress.
From 2018 to 2020, Delgado represented Mexico City in the Mexican Congress, where he was coordinator of the MORENA party delegation in the Chamber of Deputies (Mexican House of Representatives).
From Nov. 5th, 2020 to September 30th, 2024, Delgado was president of the MORENA party.
On October 1st, 2024, Claudia Sheinbaum became President of Mexico and on that day Mario Delgado became Mexico’s Secretary of Education.
Two days later, Trump removed the tariffs on goods not covered by the USMCA pact, at least for a month, from Mexico and Canada. Goods not covered by USMCA are still subject to the new tariffs.
Canada in red, U.S. in blue, Mexico in green. Source:Freepik.com
From NPR: “Two days after putting 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada, President Trump said on Thursday [March 6] that he will largely lift them — the latest twist in his on-again, off-again approach to an issue that has sent markets into a tailspin.”
“Trump started to tap the brakes on the tariffs on Wednesday [March 5th], after talking to the Big Three U.S. automakers. And then after a conversation with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Thursday [March 6th], he said on social media that he would give a break to all Mexican goods covered by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).”
“A few hours later, he signed executive orders that included relief for Canadian goods covered by the USMCA.”
Trump has a plan for April 2nd.
“The reprieve will last until at least April 2, when Trump plans to begin reciprocal tariffs on goods from a wider range of countries. The rates, products and countries affected by the upcoming reciprocal tariffs are still to be determined.“
“Canada and Mexico may avert the 25% tariffs beyond April 2 if they show they have made more progress curbing fentanyl trafficking, a senior administration official told reporters on a conference call ahead of the signing, speaking on condition of anonymity.”
What Trump plans for March 12th: “Trump told reporters that separate tariffs on steel and aluminum will go into effect as planned, on March 12.”
What Mexican President Sheinbaum said about her phone conversation with Trump: “Sheinbaum described her phone call with Trump as ‘respectful.’ She said she walked Trump through a set of his own government’s statistics showing a huge drop in the amount of fentanyl being seized by border authorities.”
President Sheinbaum at her press conference, March 6th. Source: Alfredo Estrella
From the Wall Street Journal: “President Trump’s 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada took effect first thing Tuesday [March 4]. Canada responded with plans to impose 25% tariffs on about $100 billion of U.S. imports, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saying Trump is acting in ‘bad faith’ and the U.S. president threatening more tariffs. Mexico’s president said it would also retaliate, with a range of moves to be announced Sunday [March 9th]. The U.S. also introduced an extra 10% tariff on Chinese imports overnight, adding to a levy imposed a month ago, and other existing duties. China swiftly announced retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agricultural goods, and other measures against American companies. Beijing also filed a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization.“
The Associated Press reported this detail: “Later in the day, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the U.S. would likely meet Canada and Mexico ‘in the middle,’ with an announcement coming as soon as Wednesday [March 5]. Lutnick told Fox Business News that the tariffs would not be paused, but that Trump would reach a compromise.”
The tragic war between Russia and Ukraine continues. What involvement does Mexico have with these two countries and the war?
On March 2nd, 2022, in the United Nations, 141 nations, including Mexico, voted to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Only 5 countries voted against the resolution and 35 abstained.
Nevertheless, the Mexican government refused to join in with sanctions against Russia. According to then-President AMLO, “We do not consider that is our role and we think that the best thing is to promote dialogue to achieve peace.” [AMLO Press Conference, March 1st, 2022]. AMLO explained that Mexico wouldn’t “take any reprisal of an economic type” and wants “good relations with all the governments of the world.”
Later, then-Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrardsaid that Mexico would only put sanctions on Russia if the UN Security Council would apply them, an unlikely event because Russia is on the council and has veto power.
Mexico has trade relations with both Ukraine and Russia, but its trade with Russia dwarfs its trade with Ukraine.
Most Third World countries did not join in with sanctions against Russia.
At the same time as the UN resolutions and the sanctions, six representatives in Ukraine’s parliament attempted to obtain weapons from Mexico. Oksana Dramaretska, Ukrainian Ambassador to Mexico, delivered their letter to request the Mexican Congress to send arms: “anti-tank guided missiles, FIM-92 Stingers, small arms, grenade launchers and other ammunition (modern and Soviet origin), all kinds of communication apparatuses, principally portable military radio apparatuses, ballistic vests and helmets.” The letter also asked Mexico to lobby Europe for combat aircraft.
Mexico refused. “We do not send arms anywhere. We are pacifists” said AMLO.
After Russia’s full-scale invasion, February 24th, 2022, Mexico organized an evacuation of Mexicans from Ukraine. They were flown out from Romania and arrived on a Mexican air force plane on March 4th, 2022. There were 81 evacuees consisting of Mexicans and family members of Mexicans: 44 Mexicans, 28 Ukrainians, 7 Ecuadorians, a Peruvian and an Australian.
That was three years ago, in 2022, the year of the full-scale Russian invasion.
Mexico has continued to trade with both countries. However the value of both exports and imports, to and from both Ukraine and Russia, have greatly diminished. See the charts below.
MEXICAN-UKRAINIAN TRADE
Mexico in green, Ukraine in orange. Source:Groubani
Value of Mexican Exports to Ukraine in U.S. Dollars: 2021 – 37.6 Million 2022– 12.3 Million 2023– 8.24 Million 2024– 13.5 Million Value of Mexican Imports from Ukraine: 2021– 302 Million 2022– 113 Million 2023– 116 Million 2024 – 87.6 Million
MEXICAN-RUSSIAN TRADE
Mexico in green, Russia in orange. Source: Groubani
Value of Mexican Exports to Russia in U.S. Dollars: 2021 – 499 Million 2022– 122 Million 2023– 36.9 Million 2024– 28.4 Million Value of Mexican Imports from Russia: 2021– 2 Billion, 251 Million 2022– 2 Billion, 328 Million 2023– 2 Billion, 150 Million 2024– 1 Billion, 581 Million
In recent years Chinese economic ties in Latin American countries have increased greatly.
China (left in red) and the Western Hemisphere (right in red). Source: mapchart.net
Brenda Estefan is a writer for Mexico’s Reforma newspaper and also a professor at IPADE Business School in Mexico City. (IPADE, Instituto Panamericano de Alta Dirección de Empresa, is the business school of Universidad Panamericano, a private Mexican university.)
Estefan writes that “Over the past two decades, while the U.S. focused on the War on Terror and conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, China strategically expanded its economic presence in Latin America and the Caribbean, transforming from a peripheral player into a key trading partner. Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers acknowledged that he underestimated this shift: ‘When a Latin American head of state asked me for something, I lectured them. While I was preaching, the Chinese were building airports.’ ”
Here’s how Estefan presents the big picture: “China has established a significant presence in many nations across the Western Hemisphere by lending to countries in urgent need, donating public libraries, building ports and roads, and extracting iron ore and vital minerals. Furthermore, trade between China, Latin America, and the Caribbean soared from $12 billion in 2000 to $315 billion in 2020, with projections indicating it could surpass $700 billion by 2035. China is now South America’s largest trading partner, with Brazil’s trade with China exceeding its trade with the U.S. by more than two to one. Beijing currently maintains ‘strategic partnerships’ with 10 of the 11 South American nations it engages with, with Guyana being the only exception, as it maintains only standard bilateral relations.“
Here is some information from the article about individual Latin American countries and their China relationship, concluding with Mexico:
COLOMBIA – “Seen by many as the staunchest and most loyal U.S. ally in the region, the U.S. is Colombia’s top trading partner, in contrast to the several South American countries whose largest trading partner is China. Still, Chinese imports have surged in recent years, making the Asian behemoth the country’s second-largest trade relationship.“
BRAZIL – “…Brazil—Latin America’s largest economy—is largely a lost cause for Washington, as it has significantly deepened its ties with Beijing. Chinese firms have invested in major infrastructure projects ranging from ports and railways to power grids. China is now Brazil’s largest trading partner, absorbing most of its exports, including soy, beef, coffee, and iron. In 2023, bilateral trade reached a record $181 billion. Moreover, Brazil and China have strengthened their geopolitical ties through BRICS, further complicating Washington’s ability to exert influence.”
ARGENTINA- “In Argentina, President Javier Milei presents a unique dynamic. While he shares a strong ideological affinity with Trump, his country’s economic ties to China—especially in the agricultural sector—are significant. The relationship between Argentina and China developed gradually between the 1970s and 2009, culminating in a major financial agreement: a currency swap between the Central Bank of Argentina (BCRA) and the People’s Bank of China (PBOC). The goal was to ensure Argentina’s exchange rate stability and strengthen bilateral trade. Since then, economic cooperation has deepened, with China becoming Argentina’s largest buyer of agricultural products.”
PERU- “Peru attracts the highest level of Chinese investment relative to GDP in Latin America. The most recent—and largest—of these investments is the Chancay deep-water port, designed to serve as a direct trade link between China and South America…”
CHILE – “Over the past seven years, Chinese investment in Chile has surged by 1,300%, with notable acquisitions in strategic sectors. Chinese firms now control over 60% of Chile’s electricity distribution market following purchases like Chilquinta and General Electricity Company (CGE).”
PANAMA “Following a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, President José Raúl Mulino announced Panama’s withdrawal from China’s Belt and Road Initiative and indicated that his government might reconsider the concession granted to Hong Kong-based Hutchison Ports, which operates key terminals at both ends of the interoceanic canal.”
MEXICO “Mexico is one of Washington’s most significant cases, given its deep economic integration with the U.S. through the USMCA. A recent article in The New York Times highlighted that China’s growing presence in Mexico’s auto industry is a key factor driving Trump’s push to expedite the USMCA trade agreement review. Since 2018, Chinese investment in Mexico has surged by 50% annually. In 2024, Mexico became China’s second-largest auto market, surpassed only by Russia. Manzanillo, the country’s busiest port, has seen a substantial rise in imports since 2020, mainly driven by Chinese goods. According to Norwegian logistics firm Xeneta, the Mexico-China trade route is now the fastest-growing in the world. Chinese companies have also played pivotal roles in major infrastructure projects in Mexico, including the Xochimilco-Tasqueña light rail and metro system upgrades in Mexico City and Monterrey. Even more, a recent study by Rice University’s Baker Institute suggests that Chinese investment in Mexico may be ten times higher than official figures indicate.“
“Trump understands that China’s presence in Mexico doesn’t technically violate USMCA terms, but that won’t alleviate his concerns. The idea of his primary geopolitical rival being deeply embedded in his largest trading partner—and positioned just across the 3,000-kilometer U.S.-Mexico border—is unacceptable. Unlike other Latin American nations, Mexico’s trade relationship with the U.S. is not merely important—it is fundamental to its economy, making it more vulnerable to Washington’s efforts to curb Beijing’s influence.“
The official title of the department in Spanish is the Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, SEMARNAT), the Secretariat of the Environment and Natural Resources.
The person heading the department is the Secretaria de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources.
According to Mexico’s LEY ORGÁNICA DE LA ADMINISTRACIÓN PÚBLICA FEDERAL (Organic Law of the Federal Public Administration), the goal of SEMARNAT is to “Promote the protection, restoration, conservation, preservation and sustainable exploitation of the ecosystems, natural resources, and environmental goods and services; with the goal of guaranteeing the right to a healthy environment“
Alicia Barcena was born in 1952 in Mexico City. She studied at UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México ) where she received a bachelor’s degree in biology. She studied at Harvard from 1983 to 1985, earning a master’s in public administration.
From 1988 to 1991, Barcena was director of Mexico’s National Fisheries Institute.
Beginning in 1995, Barcena served in various posts in the United Nations.
From 2008 to 2022, she was Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
From 2022 to 2023, she was Mexico’s ambassador to Chile.
From July 2023 to October 1st, 2024, she was Mexico’s Foreign Minister.
On October 1st, 2024, she became Secretary of Environment in the administration of Claudia Sheinbaum which took office that day.
Cuatro Cienegas is located in the state of Coahuila in northern Mexico. In Spanish you might see it written as one word (Cuatrociénegas) or two (Cuatro Ciénegas).
It’s an interesting area. Cuatro Ciénegas means “Four Marshes”. In current scientific terminology, a cienega is a special kind of marsh which exists only in Mexico and the Southwest U.S.
The Cuatro Cienegas area has 150 endemic species of plants and animals, including 3 endemic turtles and 8 endemic fish.
In the city you can visit the house of famous son Venustiano Carranza, considered the Father of the Mexican Constitution.
Outside the city there are natural pools, including the Poza Azul (the blue pool) and the La Poza de la Becerra (Pool of the Calf). You can also visit Las Dunas de Yeso, “the Dunes of Plaster”. Here is a photo I took of the Blue Pool:
Blue Pool in Cuatrocienegas Basin. Source: Allan Wall, 2019
And here is a photo taken from space of the Cuatro Cienegas Basin. You can see several pools:
Cuatro Cienegas Basin photographed from space. Source: NASA
Mexican and Chinese criminals have teamed up to form a new criminal organization – the “Dragon Cartel”, which is moving the “cocaine of the sea” (the swim bladder of the endangered totoaba fish) through Vancouver and other Canadian ports in exchange for fentanyl precursor chemicals.
The totoaba fish is endemic to Mexico’s Sea of Cortes (also known as the Gulf of California or the Vermilion Sea), which lies between the Mexican mainland and the Baja California peninsula.
The totoaba is endangered and has been prohibited from being fished since 1975. But that hasn’t stopped poachers from continuing to catch it.
The totoaba swim bladder is in high demand in China and elsewhere in Asia. It’s consumed as a food, and used in traditional medicine and cosmetics. Totoaba swim bladders can fetch tens of thousands of dollars per kilogram.
The totoaba trade is so lucrative that the fish is called the “cocaine of the sea”, fetching tens of thousands of dollars per kilogram.
This in turn has almost led to the extinction of another endemic Sea of Cortes species, the vaquita, a type of porpoise. Vaquitas get entangled in nets intended for the totoaba and, being mammals, they drown if they’re underwater too long. (See Can Mexico’s Vaquita Porpoise Survive?)
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), has a recent report on this lucrative international criminal enterprise.
Here’s how the article explains it: “Chinese organized crime networks and Mexican cartels are using Canadian ports to trade highly lucrative fish bladders for the precursor chemicals needed to produce fentanyl, according to a memo from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). It said organized criminal networks transport the fish — called totoaba — from the West Coast to China, while the chemical precursors to make toxic drugs are sent through Canadian ports. The report from the CBSA, first obtained by Radio-Canada through a freedom of information request, said Canada is being used as a ‘transit point’ for the illegal product — though the quantity of fish passing through Canada and the amount of fentanyl precursors being exchanged for it, were not included in the report. The document, originally published in French in October of 2024, says, ‘Chinese organized crime, in collaboration with Mexican cartels, facilitates the illicit movement of totoaba. Illicit wildlife trafficking networks are of a poly-criminal nature and engage in serious criminal behaviour.’ ”
What does “poly-criminal mean?
“Poly-criminal groups refer to networks that traffic more than one illicit commodity, such as counterfeit goods or illicit drugs.”
“The CBSA report indicates that a new criminal network known as the ‘Dragon Cartel,’ comprised of Chinese and Mexican nationals, has been created to deal specifically with totoaba trafficking. The seven-page document says western ports are a target, and that ‘people in Canada regularly engage in the illicit import, export and breeding of protected species.’ ”
Vancouver, Canada’s biggest port, is important in this criminal endeavor.
“Luis Horacio Nájera, a Mexican journalist who has investigated cartel activity, said the Vancouver port, in particular, is vulnerable to criminal activity because it connects the West Coast ports of Manzanillo [in Mexico] and Los Angeles to Asian and European markets.”
“‘As the world is globalized, organized crime is also globalized,’ he said.”
That’s for sure.
“ ‘This is kind of the strategic point for doing this exchange of illegal goods, and they found the opportunity, the possibility and the infrastructure to do these illegal trades in Vancouver.’ ”
“A 2023 press release from the U.S. Treasury Department also found Vancouver has become a “strategic” post for the Sinaloa cartel in the distribution of fentanyl.”
Port of Vancouver. Source: Allan Wall Photo, 2024
It’s difficult to find the totoaba swim bladders.
“Nájera said Canadian authorities will face an uphill battle cracking down on the totoaba trade because of the huge amount of cargo passing through ports, combined with the difficulty of identifying illegally traded bladders amid other legal fish products.”
“ ‘It is hard because this is not cocaine, right? Cocaine is usually packed solid. It’s easily identifiable at some point. This is fish — and how do you know which fish is this or that?’ ” he said, adding the CBSA may need to invest in specialized training and infrastructure to identify smuggled products.”
“ ‘When you have a container full of tilapia or octopus or whatever among these cargoes, you can smuggle these totoaba bladders.’ ”
“According to the CBSA report, totoaba swim bladders are often smuggled alongside frozen fish and squid.”
“And while often transported in coolers and backpacks, criminal networks are expanding their methods to include smuggling them in gasoline tanks, spare tires, and hidden vehicle compartments.”
So there is now a criminal network moving the swim bladder of an endangered fish from Mexico to China via Canada, in exchange for fentanyl. This threatens two endemic endangered species, besides the damage fentanyl does to so many people.
The official title of the department in Spanish is the Secretaría de Economía (SE), the Secretariat of the Economy. The person heading the department is the Secretario de Economía, the Secretary of the Economy.
So what is the difference between the Secretariat of the Economy and the Secretariat of the Treasury (Hacienda)?
Hacienda is the equivalent of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Hacienda is in charge of government finances, taxes and spending, and public debt. The current Hacienda Secretary is Rogelio Ramirez de la O.
The Secretariat of the Economy is in charge of the administration, regulation and promotion of industry, commerce, and the service sector. Its current secretary is Marcelo Ebrard.
Marcelo Ebrard was born in Mexico City in 1959. His parents were Marcelo Ebrard Maure (an architect) and Marcela Casaubon.
Both Ebrard and Casaubon are French surnames.
Marcelo Ebrard’s ancestors lived in a city in southeast France called Barcelonnette. For a century, from 1850 to 1950, there was a wave of emigration from Barcelonnette to Mexico. There is even a kind of house there known in French as a maison mexicaine (Mexican house). These houses were built by people from the community who had moved to Mexico and later returned to Barcelonnette from 1870 to 1930.
There were Barcelonnette natives who moved to Mexico, became citizens, but returned to fight for France in World War I. A plaque in Barcelonnette honors ten of these returnees who died in the War.
As for Marcelo Ebrard, he studied in El Colegio de México (Colmex) in Mexico, earning a bachelor’s in international relations. After that he studied public administration and planning in France, at the École nationale d’administration
Back in Mexico, Ebrard got involved in politics. Over the years he’s been a member of four political parties, the PRI, the Partido de Centro Democrático, the PRD and since 2018, Ebrard has been in MORENA, the party of AMLO and Claudia Sheinbaum.
Ebrard’s wife is Rosalinda Bueso, former Honduran ambassador to Mexico and now a naturalized Mexican citizen.
From 1997 to 2000, Ebrard served in the Mexican Congress. From 2002 to 2004 he was Mexico City’s Secretary of Public Security, the Police Chief.
From 2006 to 2012, Ebrard was the Mayor (Jefe de Gobierno) of Mexico City. Serving in this position is what really raised his political profile. In 2010 Ebrard was awarded the World Mayor Prize by the City Mayors Foundation.
In 2012, Ebrard ran to be the presidential candidate of the PRD, but was defeated by Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO), who went on to lose the general election (but won in 2018).
AMLO named Ebrard as Foreign Minister, a post that Ebrard held from 2018 to 2023.
Foreign Minister Ebrard signs condolence book for Queen Elizabeth in 2022. Wife Rosalinda at left. Source: Twitter
Ebrard ran again for president, this time as part of the MORENA party, but was defeated in the party by Claudia Sheinbaum.
But all was not lost for Marcelo. Claudia Sheinbaum went on to win the presidency in 2024 and she asked Ebrard to be Secretary of the Economy, a post he assumed on October 1st, 2024, the day of Sheinbaum’s inauguration.
From January 20th to February 17th (less than a month), the U.S. deported 14,470 illegal aliens to Mexico.
From Efraín González Noticias (my translation): “Since the past January 20th, the date on which the U.S. presidency of Donald Trump began, 14,470 migrants have been deported to Mexico, as confirmed this Monday [February 17th] by President Claudia Sheinbaum. In the morning press conference, Sheinbaum Pardo explained that of the 14,470 deported, 11,379 are Mexicans and the rest, 3,091, are foreigners.”
#/media/File:Mario_Delgado_Foto_(cropped).jpg){kind=link}
.png){kind=link}
.svg){kind=link}
.png){kind=link}
.png){kind=link}