People’s Mañanera July 16

ByPedro Gellert

Every day, President Claudia Sheinbaum gives a morning presidential press conference and Mexico Solidarity Media posts English language summaries, translated by Mexico Solidarity’s Pedro Gellert. Previous press conference summaries are available here.

Mexican Government Promotes Clean-Up of the Country’s Most Polluted Rivers
The Mexican government presented a strategy to restore the Lerma-Santiago, Tula, and Atoyac rivers, with the goal of improving water quality, restoring ecosystems, and preventing floods. The plan includes 93 projects, an investment of over 20 billion pesos (US$1.15 billion) during the current administration, and will benefit 25 million people.

President Claudia Sheinbaum explained that the main sources of pollution are untreated sewage, industrial waste, trash, and silt buildup. Therefore, actions include building treatment plants, collection systems, bolstering wetlands, and reforestation efforts. “The goal is to permanently and sustainably clean up these rivers,” she said.

Protecting Household Economies from Rising Gasoline Prices
In light of rising international energy prices, the President reported that the Mexican government is maintaining measures to prevent fuel price hikes. Actions include temporary tax reductions, support from Pemex, and penalties for gas stations that exceed the maximum price. “We cannot allow fuel prices to rise,” Sheinbaum stated.

Defense of Mexican Migrants
Sheinbaum rejected the resumption of immigration detentions in transit in the United States and reiterated that human rights must be respected at all times. The President reported that the Ministry of Foreign Relations (SRE) is already providing support to the family of the Mexican national who died during an immigration operation and that the case is part of the legal actions being pursued by Mexico. “If a crime has been committed, it must be prosecuted, but always with respect for human rights,” she stated.

FGR Investigates the Case of “El Mayo” Zambada
The President noted that it is up to the Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) to clarify the actions of the pilot who transported Sinaloa Cartel kingpin “El Mayo” Zambada to the United States. She reiterated that the key issue is determining whether U.S. authorities were involved in the handover, pointing out that there is a contradiction between the initial account and the subsequent display of the aircraft at an FBI event.

Mexico Makes Progress on the USMCA Review
The President reported that a U.S. delegation will arrive in Mexico next week to continue the review of the USMCA trade treaty. She explained that, since the treaty was not extended, a framework of annual reviews over the next 10 years has been established, and the goal is for this year’s agreements to provide certainty so that future reviews are limited to verifying compliance.

National Consultation to Strengthen Public Education
Sheinbaum reiterated that decisions regarding educational policy and evaluation must be made with the participation of the entire teaching community, through a school-by-school consultation and a secret ballot. She noted that the National Teachers Coordinating Committee (CNTE) was invited twice to participate in a dialogue but did not attend, and therefore emphasized that no single organization can decide on behalf of all teachers in the country.