Research Library

Nearshoring offers Mexico a major economic opportunity; however, current policy hindering power expansion, energy transition, and private investment forestalls this prospect. A report by the Center for the U.S. and Mexico on their collaborative workshop series with Tecnológico de Monterrey dissects the power sector’s critical role in nearshoring efforts and offers policy recommendations for a way forward.

Can Texas’ approach to U.S.-Mexico border relations really solve long-standing migration and fentanyl issues? This new brief from the Center for the U.S and Mexico — based on a conversation with R. Gil Kerlikowske, former Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection — examines Gov. Greg Abbott’s strategy, focusing on the deployment of buoys along the Rio Grande and their symbolism.

As Mexico faces a potential return to single-party rule, its ability to attract foreign direct investment is diminishing, writes fellow David A. Gantz. In this issue brief, he explores a range of factors contributing to Mexico’s adverse investment climate.

In 2026, the USMCA will undergo an open-ended review that could result in anything from minor changes to significant renegotiations. Nonresident fellow Simon Lester discusses this unprecedented process and argues that the U.S. and Mexico must follow Canada’s lead in starting preparations.

On June 2, Claudia Sheinbaum was elected Mexico’s next president in a landslide win for the ruling leftist Morena party. Tony Payan and Lorena Becerra examine the election results and their political implications in an episode of Baker Briefing.

Hoping to expand trade relations post-Brexit, the U.K. is forming nonbinding memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with individual U.S. states. Fellow David A. Gantz’s report navigates the complex political terrain and economic promises of these MOUs with a focus on the U.K.’s agreements with Texas and Washington.

Amid U.S. efforts to strengthen supply chains and counterbalance China’s growing influence, Mexico is poised to benefit from “nearshoring,” writes scholar Adrian Duhalt. This brief explores how the Inflation Reduction Act and rising trade tensions between the U.S. and China could help Mexico secure its top trading position with the U.S. for years to come.

Although the media often portrays migration at the U.S.-Mexico border as a “crisis,” experts Kelsey Norman and Ana Martín Gil argue that this depiction lacks nuance and sidesteps possible solutions. This report provides a more realistic view of the situation and offers key policy recommendations.

With major elections approaching in both the U.S. and Mexico, Tony Payan, Jose Ivan Rodriguez-Sanchez, and Edward M. Emmett discuss what's ahead for Mexican affairs and U.S.-Mexico relations.

Seventy years after Mexican women gained the right to vote, two women are running for the presidency in 2024. Concerted legislative reform has built on women’s suffrage — aiming to achieve equal representation for women — but there is more work to be done.