The U.S. Senate has confirmed Mexico’s new ambassador, voting 49 to 46 along party lines to approve former CIA officer Ronald Johnson.
His confirmation comes as some are becoming increasingly concerned that the United States would take unilateral military action against cartels in Mexico.
During his committee hearing last month, Johnson said his first choice would be to work with the country, but he didn’t rule out military action without buy-in from Mexico.
“I know that President Trump takes very seriously his responsibility to safeguard the lives of U.S. citizens, and should there be a case where U.S. citizens are at risk, I think all cards are on the table,” Johnson told senators.
Johnson served as ambassador to El Salvador during Trump’s first term. He was also questioned during the committee hearing about his close relationship with that country’s president, Nayib Bukele, during this time as ambassador. Bukele has agreed to imprison deported migrants from the U.S. in past months, and has been accused of human rights abuses during his years-long crackdown on gangs in the Central American country.
Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen asked Johnson about an Amnesty International investigation that found Bukele was surveilling journalists using the spyware program Pegasus. Johnson said he was unaware of Bukele’s surveillance of civil society while ambassador.
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The 60-day action plan aims to get the two countries to develop new trade policies for critical minerals, as the United States seeks to reduce its reliance on China. -
The United States has ordered tariffs on countries that continue to ship oil to the island. Mexico has described the shipments as a humanitarian measure. -
The two countries have agreed on a plan that they say will facilitate overdue water deliveries from Mexico to the United States. -
The governor of the Mexican state says Mexico’s president has approved funds for a project in the Sonoran border town. -
On a two-day tour of the state, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum inaugurated a highway and announced construction would soon begin on a port project on the Gulf of California.
