Border residents express hope, doubts as Claudia Sheinbaum takes reins of México
EL PASO, Texas ( Border Report ) – Elhiu Ramírez has seen good things happen in México in recent years. His grandmother started getting a monthly welfare stipend, and some of his high school classmates in Juarez received scholarships.
The U.S.-born Juárez resident credits President Andrés Manuel López Obrador for that. He hopes his handpicked successor, Claudia Sheinbaum, will expand such social programs as she takes the oath of office as México's first female president on Tuesday.
"Hopefully, she will continue to help the people as much as she can," said Ramírez, a University of Texas at El Paso who makes a daily commute across the U.S.-México border. He noted that 5 million Mexicans came out of extreme poverty under AMLO, the acronym the outgoing president is known as.
Roberto Levario, another American across the border, is not as excited. He says much remains to be done not only regarding public safety – a person is murdered in Juárez every eight hours – but also when it comes to fixing bad streets and having a coherent immigration policy.
"Many people come to Juárez and stay. There are people from Venezuela who beg and commit crimes. Migration is affecting both sides of the border, and walls don't work," said the McNary, Texas, native who retired to México to live with his nephews.
The historic change of the guard south of the border elicits strong feelings among border residents and the business community.
Industry leaders like Jerry Pacheco, president and CEO of the Border Industrial Association, acknowledge that there are diverse perspectives on the issue, and decisions made in México City have tremendous weight on the finances of American companies in border states.
Thousands of trucks loaded with assembled goods in México cross into the U.S. daily, a clear indication of the significant role the U.S. plays as a beneficiary in this trade relationship. This influx of goods not only funds jobs in the trucking, warehousing, and logistics industries but also creates opportunities for managers and engineers north of the border.
"The border is important to México in terms of manufacturing. We are next-door neighbors to Juárez, one of México's powerhouse manufacturing bases. I think (the border) will remain a priority," he said. "We are confident (Sheinbaum) is aware of the importance of bringing more infrastructure to the border and modernizing ports of entry. That is key to keeping U.S.-México trade high and even raising the bar: To have strong, modernized commercial ports of entry,"
The two countries next year must continue to deal with thorny issues like the flow of third-country migrants who have come into México and shown up at the U.S. border by the millions in the past five years. And Mexican drug cartels brazenly continue sending the deadly fentanyl and tons of other illegal drugs north of the border.
"We are excited because the inauguration of a new president in México allows us to start anew," Pacheco said. "If we have to hit a reset button on controversial issues, we can hit that button."
In two years, the U.S.-México-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which has given American companies continued access to Mexican labor and allowed them to relocate operations, will be reviewed. Whether Sheinbaum will use that as leverage to stave off pressure on migration and drugs remains to be seen.
"I think she will support the USMCA because it's working. It never has not worked. Two years ago, México became the United States' largest trading partner, and a major part of that is the USMCA," Pacheco said. In Juárez, high hopes clash with skepticism at the dawn of the Claudia Sheinbaum six-year mandate.
"We would like to see change. Many things have not been fixed," said Juárez resident Adolfo Gaytan. "The streets are in bad shape, and we are flooding. That damages our vehicles, and repair costs are high. Everything is costly, and we cannot make ends meet."
Juárez Mayor Cruz Pérez Cuéllar said López Obrador changed Mexican politics and focused on helping people experiencing poverty. Six years ago, México had more than 50 million people living in poverty; now, it has about 45 million.
AMLO's daily news conferences on social media kept him constantly in the public eye, served as a platform to defend against his critics (or attack them), and provided at least some accountability.
"He created a new way of doing politics," Pérez Cuéllar said on Monday. "He helped those who needed it the most. In Juárez, we are grateful to AMLO for lower taxes and a higher minimum wage than the rest of the country. We have a new Social Security Institute hospital; many people in Juárez received stipends."
Pérez Cuéllar has met with his MORENA Party colleague Sheinbaum and is convinced she is prepared to lead one of Latin America's largest democracies.
"She is very prepared. She is a woman who gets involved in things in depth. AMLO was more (visceral). Claudia is more analytical, and it is perfect to go into the second phase of this country's transformation," the mayor said. "She is going to expand existing programs, not create new ones. I think she will be a great president."
Brenda Chávez, a Juárez resident who went shopping in El Paso on Monday, fiercely supports her new president.
"She will show you women can do the job and more. I hope she will show them all that she leaves no doubt that she will do the job," she said.
