Raids in Los Angeles Disrupt Sheinbaum’s G-7 Agenda: Focusing on Migration and Remittances Over Tariffs

Amid the storm caused by migrant protests in Los Angeles, Mexico and the U.S. are preparing for their first face-to-face meeting during the G-7. President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed her attendance at the international summit scheduled for June 15-17 in Alberta, Canada. The forum, which will gather leaders from major advanced economies, will serve as the backdrop for the first in-person meeting between the president and the Republican. The president and her team are already working to arrange a bilateral meeting with Donald Trump, and sources close to the president have assured this newspaper that her agenda also includes a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, as well as her participation in the plenary session. Her priority in discussions with Trump will be immigration policies and the tax on remittances. From the U.S. side, the focus is on security and drug trafficking, along with tariffs and the USMCA being discussed as a third point.

The migrant protests in California against Trump’s anti-immigrant policies have heightened tensions between the U.S. and Mexico once again. The U.S. government mobilized more than 2,000 National Guard agents this weekend to contain the demonstrations. The response from across the Rio Grande was swift. On Monday, Sheinbaum called on U.S. officials to ensure that all immigration procedures are conducted within a framework of “respect for human dignity and the rule of law.” This situation represents a shift in the president’s agenda for the G-7. Now, Sheinbaum is preparing to address the topic of anti-immigrant raids and has proposed imposing a 3.5% tax on remittances sent by undocumented migrants from the United States. The meeting will precede the visit to Mexico on Wednesday by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

From the U.S. side, Trump is expected to show particular interest in border security strategy, cybersecurity issues, and the operations of Mexican cartels. A third topic will involve the recently imposed tariffs on Mexican steel and aluminum, as well as the upcoming review of the USMCA. During this international mission, Sheinbaum will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente and Treasury Secretary Edgar Amador Zamora.

On the eve of the Mexican president’s second international trip, and in an effort to smooth relations between Sheinbaum and Trump, Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard has had several prior meetings with his U.S. counterparts to discuss commercial issues. “We concluded a very cordial working meeting with Howard Lutnick, U.S. Secretary of Commerce. We are moving towards solutions for our two great nations,” Ebrard indicated on his social media, alongside a photograph in Lutnick’s office in Washington last Friday. The Economy Secretary’s trip also included a meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. However, no further details were disclosed.

President Sheinbaum has met several times with executives from major steel companies in Mexico. Steel industry leaders have publicly and privately requested that the government consider tariffs in response to U.S. steel imports. The president has stated since the beginning of this trade war that she has several plans on the table, but none have been implemented so far. Even after the increase in tariffs on steel and aluminum from 25% to 50%, Sheinbaum suggested the possibility of retaliatory tariffs, but this promise has yet to materialize; the government continues to play its cards with caution and “a cool head.”

“In the best-case scenario, some facilitation will be negotiated for sectors like the automotive industry, for steel and aluminum going to that sector, but sourced in North America. Aluminum faces a tougher challenge because it depends on China. But I do not foresee them easily easing the entire import of steel and aluminum,” stated a source from the sector. An important point in the balance will be the lobbying done directly by American companies based in Mexico, such as Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis. The steel that Mexico purchases from the U.S. is for the automotive sector, which is then exported in the form of automobiles.