Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has taken a harder line against the United States in response to the deaths of Mexican citizens in U.S. custody and the U.S. blockade of Cuba. This stance follows the death of 49-year-old Mexican citizen Alejandro Cabrera Clemente in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centre in Louisiana, part of fifteen deaths of Mexican citizens in U.S. custody in little over a year. Mexico's government called these deaths 'unacceptable' and described ICE detention centres as 'incompatible with human rights standards and the protection of life'.
Sheinbaum has requested investigations into the deaths of the 15 migrants and instructed Mexican consulates to visit detention centres daily. Her government will raise the deaths in detention centres to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and is considering appealing to the UN. The White House offered no comment on Tuesday about Sheinbaum's tougher stance or the rising number of deaths of Mexican nationals in ICE custody.
This diplomatic friction unfolds as Sheinbaum has maintained a 'cool head' to provocations by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who has exerted more pressure on Latin America than any U.S. leader in decades. The Trump administration deposed Venezuela's president, imposed an oil blockade on Cuba, and threatened military intervention against Mexican cartels. Trump has taken public jabs at Sheinbaum, suggesting cartels have greater control over Mexico than her government, but has also regularly made nods to their amicable relationship.
Domestically, Sheinbaum's government has come down harder on cartels than her predecessor and bolstered trade relations ahead of renegotiations of the USMCA free trade agreement. The main point of contention between the two governments has been Cuba, with solidarity with Cuba being a cornerstone of Mexico's political ethos since the Cuban revolution.
In a move to address energy dependence, Sheinbaum announced plans to tap into unconventional natural gas deposits to lower Mexico's reliance on foreign energy. She avoided the term hydraulic fracturing or 'fracking' and framed the initiative as a quest for 'sustainable' extraction. Mexico is the world's single largest buyer of U.S. gas, and Sheinbaum argued that increasing energy sovereignty is a responsible necessity.
The technical feasibility of 'sustainable fracking' is a subject of significant debate among environmental scientists and energy experts. Sheinbaum said a technical committee will spend two months evaluating less harmful methods, such as utilizing nonpotable water and reducing chemical additives, and will also assess the potential costs of these mitigations.
Since assuming power in October 2024, Sheinbaum has pledged to expand renewable energy while maintaining firm support for the state-owned Petróleos Mexicanos. She defended her stance by arguing that fossil fuels remain an essential component of Mexico's energy landscape. She said the priority is to reduce external energy dependence in turbulent times and avoid situations like the shortage of Russian gas during the war in Ukraine or the one caused by the current war in the Middle East.
Wednesday's proposal is certain to spark controversy, especially as there is a surge in infrastructure projects designed to increase U.S. gas imports to satisfy Mexico's rising domestic electricity demand and position the country as a hub for re-exporting gas to Asian and European markets.