A bill in the U.S. Senate calls for a report from the U.S. Defense Department on the practice of fuel smuggling, which officials say has become an increasingly important source of revenue for Mexico-based drug cartels.
Texas Republican John Cornyn and Nevada Democrat Jacky Rosen introduced the legislation.
“Fuel theft in Mexico has become the most significant source of non-drug revenue for cartels, enabling them to sustain their illegal operations on both sides of the border, and we must take action to combat it,” Rosen said in a statement.
Government officials on both sides of the border have been calling attention to the practice, which can involve cartels illegally tapping pipelines and bribing employees of Mexico’s state-run gas company.
An alert from the U.S. Treasury Department in 2025 accused cartels of then selling that stolen crude oil to complicit U.S.-based oil and natural gas companies near the border.
Mexican authorities have arrested several people over the past year suspected of being involved with fuel smuggling.
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The move comes after a nearly yearlong ban of Mexican cattle into the United States to protect against the New World screwworm parasite. -
The San Luis port of entry from Sonora, Mexico, is Arizona’s westernmost border crossing, and could see delays for four to five months starting later this month. -
No cases of the flesh-eating New World screwworm parasite have been reported in Arizona, but USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in the state has recommendations for ranchers to protect against it. -
Mexican immigrants sent less money back to their country of origin last year, after 11 consecutive years of increased remittances, according to BBVA. Now, they appear to be increasing again. -
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says has confirmed the parasitic fly larva in a three-week-old calf in south Texas.
