This week marked the end of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the conclusion of Mexico’s third turn as a host country. The week opened with President Sheinbaum’s attendance at the World Cup final in New Jersey, where brief exchanges with Trump, Carney and other officials set the tone for USMCA review talks that resumed in Mexico City. Sheinbaum later called the tournament a diplomatic success, and world leaders had high praise for Mexico’s performance as a host nation.
As World Cup excitement faded, security stories dominated elsewhere. Zacatecas authorities linked the multihomicide of 10 people, including a former mayor, to extortion and official collusion, while a Sinaloa Cartel kingpin, “El Mayo” Zambada, was sentenced to life in prison in the U.S. While El Mayo’s court case has run its course, infighting within the cartel he once led prompted 900 more troops to deploy to Mazatlán, Sinaloa. The week ended with the annoucement of sweeping U.S. sanctions against an opposing organized crime syndicate, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
On the economic front, inflation fell to its lowest level since 2020 and a new round of U.S. tariffs largely spared Mexico.
Didn’t have time to catch this week’s top stories? Here’s what you missed.
Security: Homicides fall, but high-profile violence persists
México state’s homicide rate has dropped to its lowest level in 19 years, officials said Wednesday, citing a “unified command” strategy that cut daily killings by 58% since September 2024. In Morelos, Governor Margarita González’s administration touted a 54% homicide drop alongside improving public perceptions of safety, even as the state investigated the murder of a mayor with alleged ties to organized crime.
That progress contrasted with events in Sinaloa and Oaxaca. The Zacatecas multihomicide, which included a former mayor of Sombrerete and two Fresnillo officials, is being investigated as a possible case of extortion and collusion between criminals and public officials. In Mazatlán, a string of targeted attacks over the past two weeks left at least a dozen dead, prompting the arrival of 900 additional troops, bringing the security deployment to more than 1,300 personnel. Authorities attributed the violence to the ongoing feud between Sinaloa Cartel factions that intensified after Zambada’s 2024 arrest. Separately, journalist Alejandro Leyva was shot dead in Oaxaca on Wednesday, the second journalist killed in Mexico in less than a week. Federal prosecutors took over the case at the request of state officials.
On Thursday, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned 39 individuals and 16 companies linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, including the CJNG’s new leader, Juan Carlos Valencia González, a.k.a. “El Pelón.” The U.S. called it the largest action ever taken against the group, and Mexico’s financial intelligence unit blocked the same accounts.
El Mayo’s sentencing and its aftermath
Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, Sinaloa Cartel co-founder, was sentenced to life in prison and ordered to forfeit $15 billion by a U.S. federal judge on Monday. In court, Zambada urged young people to avoid a life of crime. President Sheinbaum said she agreed with the sentiment but declined to explicitly endorse a message from a convicted trafficker. Mexican officials said Wednesday it remains unclear whether Zambada could ever be transferred to a Mexican prison, a decision that depends on whether the Attorney General’s Office pursues extradition.
Trade and economy: Inflation eases, tariff fights continue
Mexico’s annual inflation rate fell to 3.10% in the first half of July, the lowest for any comparable period since December 2020, driven largely by falling produce prices. Meanwhile, the tariffs Mexico implemented this year on countries without free trade agreements — chiefly targeting China — cut affected imports by 23.2% between January and May, even as overall imports from Asia rose on surging Taiwanese semiconductor purchases.
On the U.S. side, President Trump’s re-imposed tariffs took effect Friday on dozens of countries, but Mexico avoided major new costs: About 80% of Mexican exports remain tariff-free under the USMCA, according to Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard. While dozens of other countries faced increased tariffs, Mexico’s rate remained at 10%. The U.S. gave Mexico a heads-up before the announcement, as U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer visited Mexico City this week to meet with Sheinbaum and press for stricter automotive rules of origin in the ongoing USMCA review, citing a growing U.S. auto trade deficit with Mexico.
Health, migration and infrastructure
Deputy Health Minister Eduardo Clark reported that 30 public hospital projects have been completed since October 2024, adding 1,474 beds toward a goal of 9,000 by 2030, with 33 more projects due this year. Health officials also moved to calm fears over a U.S. Cyclospora outbreak initially attributed to lettuce from Guanajuato: After the FDA retracted a positive test result, Mexican authorities said there was no evidence of contamination in Mexican-grown produce.
A new report from the Migration Policy Institute found the Mexican-born population in the U.S. has fallen to 11.1 million, down more than 500,000 since a 2007 peak, a decline researchers said could accelerate amid stepped-up immigration enforcement. On infrastructure, the government launched the second construction phase of its passenger rail program, which will link central Mexico to Saltillo and the Pacific coast, while separate data showed Mexico is drawing more international tourists but earning less per visitor as land-crossing traffic outpaces higher-spending air arrivals.
Also this week, the federal government joined Jalisco state officials in announcing a joint effort to rehabilitate Guadalajara’s aging water infrastructure and curb industrial contamination of the Lerma River, while Mexico City announced three regional forums to debate social media and AI regulation for minors.
Looking ahead
USMCA negotiations are set to continue following this week’s talks with Greer, with both sides aiming for interim agreements before year’s end even as the review process stretches toward 2036. Security officials face pressure to build on regional and national homicide declines while containing the Sinaloa Cartel factional violence driving unrest in Mazatlán and elsewhere. Investigations into the Zacatecas multihomicide and the killing of journalist Alejandro Leyva remain open, with federal authorities now involved in both cases.
Also in the news this week
Mexico News Daily
This story contains summaries of original Mexico News Daily articles. The summaries were generated by Claude, then revised and fact-checked by a Mexico News Daily staff editor.
