As the US struggles to contain its worst measles outbreak in years, cases have spilled over into Mexico. In an April 25 report, Mexico’s Ministry of Health reported there have been 583 confirmed cases in the country this year, with 560 recorded in the border state of Chihuahua. On April 27, the Chihuahua Health Secretariat pushed the state’s number of confirmed cases even higher, to 713. In comparison, the Pan American Health Organization reported only 7 confirmed cases in the whole of Mexico in 2024.
The outbreak in Chihuahua is partly due to its proximity to Texas, which it borders to the north. A major outbreak has been ongoing in the US state since late January, and cases in Mexico have been linked to those north of the border. The United States has recorded 884 confirmed cases of measles this year, up from 285 in 2024, as well as three deaths from the disease. Of this year’s cases in the US, 646 have been in Texas.
To try to prevent the measles virus from spreading further throughout Mexico, its Ministry of Health has issued a travel warning for the United States and Canada, where cases have also risen sharply. The ministry advises travelers to make sure they are up-to-date with their vaccinations, practice social distancing, wear a mask, and frequently wash their hands.Falling vaccination levels have also helped drive up Mexico’s cases, as they have in the US. In 98 percent of US cases this year, the patient—whether an adult or child—had no history of vaccination against measles. In early April, it was reported that a 31-year-old man unvaccinated against measles had died of the disease in Chihuahua.
Measles isn’t the only disease being targeted in Mexico: Children over 4 years old are also being offered the DPT (diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus) vaccine, and a pneumococcal booster is being offered at 12 months of age. Adolescents, adults over 60, and pregnant women are also being invited to get specific vaccines that they might need as well.
Measles is a viral disease, and it is considered to be one of the most contagious in the world. It mostly spreads among children. It is transmitted by contact with infected nasal or pharyngeal secretions and through the air, and it initially affects the respiratory tract. Symptoms include a high fever, cough, abundant nasal discharges, and a skin rash that spreads all over the body. Complications can include blindness, encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), diarrhea, dehydration, ear infections, and pneumonia. In severe cases, it can be fatal.
DOD to deploy counter-drone capabilities at US-Mexico border as cartels surveil troops
The Pentagon is preparing to deploy counter-drone capabilities around the U.S.-Mexico border as part of its ongoing support of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement and security mandates there, two senior defense officials told lawmakers Tuesday.
“[President Donald Trump] has issued several executive orders directing the Department of Defense to take all appropriate and lawful measures to ensure the complete operational control of the border. The department, in turn, is responding by preparing the path for employment of [counter-small uncrewed aerial system or CsUAS] activities along the border — both in support of DOD interests and in support of [the Department of Homeland Security] as the lead federal agency,” said Mark Ditlevson, acting assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and hemispheric affairs.
Ditlevson and Rear Adm. Paul Spedero Jr., Joint Chiefs of Staff vice director for operations, J3, revealed those plans in written and oral testimony during a House Military and Foreign Affairs Subcommittee hearing about recent reports of unauthorized drone activity that threaten U.S. national security.
“We know that cartels have used [uncrewed aerial systems or UAS] for unauthorized surveillance to assess our troop size, our movements, to solicit and enable attacks from other vectors. We know that they have used drones for kinetic attacks,” Spedero said.
The rapid emergence, proliferation and application of drones are fundamentally shifting the way that militarized groups and other adversarial organizations conduct warfare.
The two witnesses discussed with lawmakers DOD’s still-ongoing responses to several recent high-profile incidents that impacted military officials and American civilians domestically and abroad over the last few years, including in New Jersey and at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia.
Ditlevson and Spedero confirmed that the Pentagon is moving to buy hardware and software assets designed to help combatant commanders better understand their operating environments and their commands’ capacity to conduct non-kinetic and kinetic defense against UAS threats.
Among other remedies, they also said DOD officials have identified and are pursuing a range of policy, process and technology improvements to govern and streamline DOD’s execution of counter-UAS activities.
However, several lawmakers warned that on some U.S. defense installations — and now, particularly at the southern border, where Trump recently authorized the military to take control — service members have suggested that they’re still not confident in gauging when and if they are permitted to respond to incursions from unidentified drones.
“This is the burden of command, and you need to understand that if there is something that is assessed as a threat to your forces and your installation, you not only have the authority, but the responsibility to act. I would counter that they have authority right now on the southwest border to engage UAS,” Spedero noted.
In their written testimony, he and Ditlevson further stated that “transnational criminal organizations are adapting to our operations by using drones to track the movements of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents and DOD forces near the border” and that the department is puzzling out an associated initiative to defend against small UAS in the near term.
They did not share implementation details or comment on possible policy changes and capabilities updates that need to be completed for the CsUAS “path to employment” to come into fruition.
“It’s critical — the cartels are using drones to surveil our military and law enforcement at the border. That’s not good, and they’re going to use everything they can to find holes that will then dictate their behavior. So yes, we need to have counter-drone technology there,” subcommittee Chair Rep. William Timmons, R-S.C., told DefenseScoop after the hearing. “If the border patrol is saying it’s a problem, it’s a problem.”
Mexico Reports Surge in Measles Cases as Texas Outbreak Spills Across Border
Dr. Paul Offit: “He’s held press conferences about autism. He’s held press conferences about food dyes. What he should do is hold a press conference every other day about this measles epidemic and what we’re doing about it and encourage vaccination, especially in areas where there’s low vaccination rates. The opposite is happening. He doesn’t say that. He gets in front of the public and says measles vaccine kills people every year.”
May 1st, known as Día del Trabajo (Labor Day) in Mexico and many Latin American countries, is a significant day dedicated to honoring workers and their contributions to society. It is part of International Workers’ Day, a global observance rooted in the labor movement’s fight for fair working conditions and rights.
The origins of this celebration trace back to the Haymarket Affair of 1886 in Chicago, where workers protested for an eight-hour workday. The tragic events that followed led to the establishment of May 1st as a day of remembrance and advocacy for labor rights worldwide. In Mexico, Labor Day became an official holiday, reflecting the country’s own history of labor struggles, including the Cananea miners’ strike of 1906, which played a role in inspiring the Mexican Revolution.
Across Latin America, May 1st is marked by marches, demonstrations, and speeches from labor unions and government officials. Workers from various industries come together to demand better wages, improved working conditions, and social protections. In countries like Argentina, Brazil, and Chile, the day serves as a reminder of past labor movements and ongoing efforts to secure workers’ rights.
Despite being a public holiday, many workers in informal sectors continue to work, highlighting the economic challenges faced by laborers in the region. The day is not only a celebration but also a call to action, urging governments and businesses to uphold fair labor practices.
Labor Day in Mexico and Latin America remains a powerful symbol of solidarity, perseverance, and the ongoing fight for dignity in the workplace. It reinforces the importance of recognizing and valuing the contributions of workers in shaping society and driving economic progress.
‘The United States is the villain of our story.’ Nationalism surges in Mexico amid Trump threats
- Americans barely remember the Mexican-American War, but in Mexico memories of the war and other military quarrels with the United States remain deeply felt.
- Mexico lost half its territory, including California, in the war that broke out this week in 1846.
- President Claudia Sheinbaum, who often speaks of Mexico’s sovereignty, said, “We are neither a protectorate nor a colony of any foreign nation.”
MEXICO CITY — At the entrance to Mexico City’s largest park lies a towering marble monument to six young military cadets killed in battle.
The Niños Héroes — “boy heroes” — died while defending Mexico’s capital during the Mexican-American War, which broke out 179 years ago this week.
That conflict may not loom large in the minds of most Americans. But in Mexico, which in defeat was forced to cede more than half of its territory to the U.S., memories of the war and other military quarrels with the nation’s powerful northern neighbor remain deeply felt.
As Mexicans, we have to unite for this new battle — which is a trade war
— Felix de la Rosa, chemical engineer
Today, Mexico is once again locked in battle with the United States, this time facing an American president who is hurling insults, tariffs and threatening U.S. drone strikes here. Many see it as just the latest chapter in an age-old tale of U.S. aggression.
“In Mexico there’s a perception that the United States is the villain of our story,” said historian Alejandro Rosas. “That’s the narrative you grow up with, it’s what they teach you in school. We’ve been victims of the United States forever.”
The Niños Héroes are often viewed as the embodiment of courage, teenagers who fought like men against a northern invader. Their faces have appeared on currency, Streets bear their names, children learn about them in school.
“It’s unfair,” said Monserrat Martínez Hernández, 20, a college student who snapped selfies alongside her mother, sister and two cousins.
“They already took away half our territory,” she said of the United States. “Now they want to abuse their power again, this time from an economic perspective.”
Since Trump took office in January, Mexico has been seized by a wave of nationalistic zeal.
On TikTok, users have demanded a boycott of American products, filming themselves pouring Coca Cola down the drain. Companies have embraced the red, green and white of the Mexican flag in ad campaigns.
After the government announced a relaunch of the “Hecho en Mexico,” or “Made in Mexico,” seal on locally produced products, Grupo Modelo said it would print the slogan on its beer bottle caps.
Leading the way is Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has both stoked — and benefited from — the surge in national pride.
She has cooperated with Trump on several key measures, sending thousands of National Guard troops to fortify the northern border and transferring dozens of suspected cartel members wanted by the U.S.
But she has pushed back when possible, suggesting Mexico would retaliate if the Trump administration carried out drone strikes in its territory, pushing a constitutional measure that effectively bans the planting of U.S. GMO corn and recently asking television stations to pull what she called “discriminatory” ads produced by the Trump administration warning against undocumented migration. Her approval ratings — which hover around 80% — are among the highest in the world for a head of state.
She seems to work the word for sovereignty — soberano — into almost every speech.
Tellingly, she has often invoked history in her effort to rally support.
This month she marked the anniversary of the sixth-month long U.S. occupation of the port city of Veracruz in 1914.
“Mexico is and always will be a great country,” Sheinbaum told a stadium filled with smartly dressed naval officers. “We are neither a protectorate nor a colony of any foreign nation.”
Recently, Sheinbaum used the word “traitor” to describe an opposition party member who voiced support for a U.S. effort to designate drug cartels as “terrorist” groups. She compared him with the conservative Mexicans who, in the 1850s, invited the French to help overthrow the liberal government of President Benito Juarez. The French ended up occupying Mexico for several years, briefly installing Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph, an Austrian duke, as emperor.
But it is the history of U.S. antagonism, with its roots in manifest destiny and President Polk’s obsession with territorial expansion, that Mexicans best remember. In 1845, the U.S. annexed Texas, a move Mexico rejected. After Mexican troops attacked U.S. soldiers in Texas on April 25, 1846, the U.S. formally declared war. The 1847 battle over Mexico City is recalled on the U.S. side in the opening line of the Marines’ Hymn: “From the Halls of Montezuma …”
The U.S. and Mexico share a 2,000-mile long border and deep cultural, economic and family ties. Americans are largely welcomed with open arms and warm hospitality when they visit Mexico’s vibrant cities, archaeological ruins and vast beaches.
But if an undercurrent of hostility is at times detectable, Rosas says it is related to how Mexicans are educated about their history. While neighboring countries often have territorial disputes, he said Mexican governments, particularly those associated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party, made the U.S. the boogeyman in order to drum up domestic support, he said.
“They needed a shared enemy,” Rosas said. “So they embraced very defensive, nationalistic and anti-interventionist politics.” It’s no mistake, he said, that the war between the U.S. and Mexico is often referred to as “the United States intervention.”
At the Niños Héroes monument, Mexicans reflected on that past and possible conflicts — economic ones — looming in the future.
Felix de la Rosa, 64, a chemical engineer from the state of Coahuila, which borders Texas, says he visits the monument every time he’s in Mexico City.
“As Mexicans, we have to unite for this new battle — which is a trade war,” he said. “But we shouldn’t bow our heads without fighting. I think the boy heroes are a great example, and that is how we should act, with great courage and dignity in the face of this new battle.”
But for some, the lesson of history is that Mexico may again suffer the fate of being neighbor to one of the most powerful countries in the world.
“The truth is, our country doesn’t have the economic strength they have,” said Gerardo Santos, a 33-year-old businessman. “Our country is weaker, and President Trump knows this and takes advantage of it.”
“In the end, the gringos will win again,” he said. “There’s nothing we can do about a man like Trump. The guy is crazy.”
B.C. pilot tells remarkable survival story after small plane crash off Mexico
Mike MacDonald had been hired to fly over the Gulf of California with a marine biologist to look for wildlife last weekend.“Our job is to go out there and spot the animals, identify them, mark them, mark their location, and which direction they’re headed,” he told Global News.But about three hours into a four-hour tour, his engine suddenly quit and he realized he couldn’t make it to land.“My colleague there thought I was playing some sick prank, but nope, this was the real deal and we had less than three minutes to prepare,” MacDonald told Global News.After a few minutes of troubleshooting, he realized he was going to have to ditch the plane into severe swells a long way from shore.
“And it was a very sudden stop in fairly large swells with a little bit of white caps and some wind involved.”
He said that as soon as they hit the water, they unbuckled their seatbelts, rolled out, rolled the airplane over and had to inflate their life vests. While his partner’s inflated with little trouble, MacDonald said he had to blow his up manually.
“Luckily I’m a bagpiper, so it wasn’t too hard to do,” he joked.
Luckily, other than some cuts and bruising, both of them were OK.
“It just felt like a sea monster reached up and grabbed us and pulled us in and slammed us forward,” MacDonald said of the impact.
“So it was a kind of a bizarre feeling.”
The tracking app registered an impact and rescue personnel were being dispatched.
The pair floated in the ocean for more than two hours before the first vessel arrived.
One of the items that floated free of the wreckage was a marine radio and the pair used it to guide the first vessel to arrive, which was a diving charter boat, to their location.
Marine rescue arrived after that and the pair were whisked to La Paz for treatment for minor injuries.
MacDonald said his training and a sense of duty to his colleague kept him so calm during this emergency situation.
“If it was just me, maybe I would have been in a different headspace, absolutely, but I felt completely responsible for her, and I had to make sure that she got out of it in one piece,” he added.
MacDonald lost his passport in the wreckage but after meeting with crash investigators he will return home when he gets his new document.
Corona beer maker Modelo says to invest $3.6 bn in Mexico
Mexico City (AFP) – Grupo Modelo, the producer of Corona and other Mexican beer brands, said Thursday that it would invest more than $3.6 billion in Mexico despite trade tensions with the United States.
“We stand with Mexico like good friends, in the good times and the bad,” Raul Escalante, vice president of the brewer owned by Belgian-Brazilian giant AB InBev, said at President Claudia Sheinbaum’s morning news conference.
He said the investment would be used to modernize the company’s plants and stores.
Seeking to ease concerns about the Mexican economy in the face of US President Donald Trump’s tariffs, Sheinbaum has invited several company executives to her news conferences to present their investment plans.
Last month, US retail giant Walmart said that it would invest more than $6 billion in Mexico this year, generating several thousand jobs.
The government said that it had received nearly 2,000 investment pledges totaling almost $300 billion — equivalent to around 16 percent of the country’s annual economic output.
Trump this month left Mexico off the list of nations facing his “reciprocal tariffs,” but its carmakers as well as steel and aluminum exporters still face duties.
The International Monetary Fund this week predicted that Mexico’s economy, the second largest in Latin America, would shrink by 0.3 percent this year, pulled down by Trump’s trade war.
Sheinbaum said the outlook was too pessimistic because her government’s efforts to attract investment would offset the hit from US tariffs.
She said that Mexicans’ strong work ethic would give the country an advantage over its competitors.
The image “of a Mexican sitting with his hat under a nopal cactus, as if we were lazy, is completely false,” she said.
Mexico’s president hits back at US anti-immigration ads, calls them ‘discriminatory propaganda
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says her government plans to ban advertisements from the US Department of Homeland Security, which have broadcast across the country in recent weeks and show Secretary Kristi Noem warning migrants not to enter the United States illegally.
In one 30-second ad, Noem is seen in a light purple suit saying: “If you are a criminal alien considering entering America illegally, don’t even think about it.”
She goes on to warn that if migrants break US laws, “We will hunt you down.”
Mexico’s president has denounced the adverts, which have aired in the middle of soccer matches and on primetime programming, as “discriminatory.”
On Tuesday, her government sent lawmakers reform proposals that would prohibit foreign governments from spreading what it considers political and ideological propaganda in the country.
“We do not agree with the discriminatory propaganda against the migrant population that has been broadcast on television, radio, and social media by the United States government,” Sheinbaum said.
When asked for comment on Mexico’s response, DHS said to CNN that its “ad campaign is working.”
“The data shows the world is hearing our message. Border crossings have reached the lowest ever recorded,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in an email. “Thanks to President Trump and Secretary Noem, we have the most secure border in history.”
The US advertisements are part of a multimillion-dollar messaging campaign meant to deter illegal entry into the United States. The DHS says the videos are “hyper-targeted” at undocumented immigrants and would be distributed domestically and internationally on TV, radio, social media and through text messages.
In another series of adverts announced on Monday, Noem is seen telling undocumented immigrants to self-deport or face hefty fines, imprisonment and deportation.
She also claims the Trump administration has already deported tens of thousands of migrants, including some she says are accused of rape, murder and production of child pornography. CNN is unable to confirm Noem’s claims. Families of some deportees have previously told CNN that their loved ones had no criminal records.
Drawing the line at political ‘propaganda’
Sheinbaum argued this week that there’s precedent for such a ban, saying Mexico’s telecommunications law previously had an article barring domestic media from disseminating foreign political propaganda, but that the article was removed during a previous administration.
“I have requested an investigation into how that article was removed,” she said during her morning news conference on Monday. “But we think our sovereignty and respect for Mexico deserve reinserting that article into the law.”
The president of the Senate Gerardo Fernández Noroña said Tuesday that the upper house would fast-track Sheinbaum’s measure and send it to the Chamber of Deputies as soon as possible.
“I don’t think there is a single parliamentary group that opposes this reinstatement,” Fernández Noroña told reporters.
Sheinbaum insisted that Mexico would still allow countries to run ads that promote tourism and culture, but that it would draw the line at political “propaganda.”
“If any country in the world wants to promote itself in our country or we in another country, then there would be no problem. The problem is this propaganda from the government itself, in addition to acts that we consider discriminatory,” she said Tuesday.
Mexico’s anti-discrimination agency said it sent a letter to broadcasters last week, asking them to stop airing the TV spot.
“From our analysis, we have found that the spot contains a discriminatory message that violates human dignity and may encourage acts of rejection or violence against people on the move,” the letter from the National Council to Prevent Discrimination read.
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‘The United States is the villain of our story.’ Nationalism surges in Mexico amid Trump threats