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Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo emphasized that the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is essential for North America to successfully compete with China’s growing economic and commercial influence. Speaking from Nuevo Laredo, she underscored the importance of regional economic integration and outlined several infrastructure and social welfare initiatives aimed at strengthening Mexico’s economy.
“The USMCA is the only way to successfully confront economic and commercial competition with China,” said Sheinbaum. “North America must consolidate as an economic region that moves toward independence from imports from other regions of the world. That is why we have always maintained that among the three countries, there is no competition, only complementarity, allowing us to be one of the most dynamic and important regions in the world,” she stated.
Sheinbaum proposed the future goal of integrating the economies of the entire American continent while respecting the sovereignty, independence, and cultural and democratic values of each country. She noted that the combined economic activity of Mexico, the U.S., and Canada accounts for 30% of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP). If the southern U.S. border states and northern Mexican states were considered a single economic entity, they would rank as the world’s fourth-largest economy.
Sheinbaum also highlighted the impact of 37 million Mexicans living in the United States, noting that 80% of their wages remain in the U.S., while 20% are sent to Mexico in the form of remittances.
Sheinbaum announced that a new headquarters for Mexico’s National Customs Agency (ANAM) will be completed in Nuevo Laredo by March 2025. Nuevo Laredo is the leading port of entry for U.S.-Mexico trade, with 70,000 cargo trucks, 240,000 passenger vehicles, and one million people crossing daily. The new ANAM headquarters will include administrative offices, medical services, commercial spaces, recreational areas, and housing for 621 customs personnel.
President Claudia Sheinbaum reaffirmed her administration’s commitment to social welfare, announcing the launch of three new support programs in 2025. These include the Pensión Mujeres Bienestar, which will provide a pension for women aged 60 to 64; the Rita Cetina Gutiérrez Universal Scholarship, offering financial aid to all basic education students; and Salud Casa por Casa, a healthcare program that will deliver home medical visits and access to medications through “Farmacias del Bienestar” for seniors and people with disabilities. Sheinbaum stated that the 2025 federal budget will allocate over 800 billion pesos to these welfare initiatives.
Ariadna Montiel Reyes, Secretary of Social Welfare, reported that 700,000 people in Tamaulipas are currently benefiting from existing social welfare programs, representing an investment of nearly 19.4 billion pesos. She also noted that 25,000 women aged 63 and 64 in Tamaulipas have registered for the new Pensión Mujeres Bienestar program.
Another major project in progress is the construction of the 365-kilometer Saltillo-Nuevo Laredo railway, expected to be completed by 2028. The project, led by the Mexican Army’s “Felipe Ángeles” Engineering Unit, will connect the states of Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas, with trains expected to reach speeds of up to 200 km/h. The construction will create 84,000 direct jobs and 180,000 indirect jobs.
Governor Américo Villarreal Anaya reiterated the Tamaulipas state government’s commitment to the country’s Fourth Transformation. He announced plans to establish new campuses for the Universidad Nacional Rosario Castellanos, launch a national housing program benefiting 43,000 families in 29 municipalities, and support Mexico’s National Water Plan.
The event in Nuevo Laredo was attended by several federal officials, including Defense Secretary Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, Education Secretary Mario Delgado Carrillo, National Water Commission (Conagua) Director Efraín Morales López, and Nuevo Laredo Mayor Carmen Lilia Canturosas Villarreal.
