The Big Stories to watch this week in LATAM
Mexico-U.S water and trade wars, spiraling violence in Haiti, and the ICE update: they're still worse than ever
LATAM Daily Wires brings you the stories to watch this week in Latin America and the big headline developments over the weekend. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you should.
Mexico-U.S. Water Wars
The BBC on Sunday reported on increasing tensions over water usage in regions near the Mexican-U.S. border. Ongoing droughts in Northern Mexico have left some communities’ aquifers running low.
Shortages are being exacerbated by a 1944 water-sharing deal in which Mexico agreed to send nearly half a billion cubic litres from the Rio Grande to communities in Texas. In return, the U.S. sends over three times that amount from the Colorado river to communities near California, like Tijuana.
Mexico has fallen behind on its share of the more than 80-year old deal, however, and the Trump administration has threatened to stop water deliveries completely if Mexico continues in arrears.
Water disputes in Texas border communities are not new. Farmers have long struggled with Mexican authorities for resources to continue sowing their fields, and criticize poor water management on both sides of the border for the problems.
The dynamic is only likely to worsen as long-term regional droughts are compounded by climate change.
Mexico-U.S.Trade Wars
Trump’s global tariff policies have been erratic at best, often changing course or even reversing shortly after proclamations from the White House. But in theory, 30% tariffs on all goods imported from Mexico are set to begin in just a few weeks, on August 1.
Mexico has publicly criticized the decision as “unfair” and called for further negotiations. Sheinbaum has so far managed to mitigate tariff threats by cooperating on migration enforcement, a central plank of White House policy, and promises to reduce fentanyl smuggling.
Trump on Saturday promised “retaliation” if Mexico takes any reciprocal action over the new tariffs, which he claims are “bringing in billions of dollars.”
ICE updates
The Trump administration’s “Alligator Alcatraz," a concentration camp in the Florida Everglades, is filling up fast. According to data from the U.S. government, Trump’s promises that the detention center would hold only “the worst of the worst” are proving false.
The majority of the migrants detained there have no criminal records at all, and many of those who do have convictions are for minor offenses.
According to the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), the tempo of DHS migration raids has intensified in recent weeks, especially in Los Angeles.
The city has denounced racial profiling as part of ICE operations, as well as agents who routinely conceal their identities. The number of people in ICE custody reached new highs this week nationally, as did the number in custody with no criminal charges.
On Saturday, one ICE official used his vehicle to strike protesters who were trying to block the accessibility of an ICE vehicle to the Federal Courts Building.
Protests and direct actions have been ongoing against ICE operations in L.A. since Trump took office.
Haití: nearly 5,000 killed so far in 2025, says U.N
A report released Friday by the United Nations detailed Haiti’s continued descent into insecurity. Violence in the Caribbean country claimed more than 4,864 lives from October to June of this year.
The U.N. believes that the growing presence of gangs in those areas outside of Port-au-Prince are part of a broader strategy to control key routes connecting the capital to Haiti’s north and its border with the Dominican Republic.
The report states that more than 1.3 million people have been displaced throughout the country, and recommends international support for a Kenyan-led peacekeeping mission that has so far had little impact on criminality in the country.
You can also donate a one-time gift via “Buy Me a Coffee”. It only takes a few moments, and you can do so here.
Hasta pronto, piratas!