A US-backed agreement would give the Pentagon a 35 per cent stake in North American Blue Energy Partners and access to more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan proven oil reserves. Venezuela’s interim government says the deal could generate $100 billion in investment and more than $200 billion in tax revenue, helping finance social programmes and recovery from devastating earthquakes. Recent reforms to the hydrocarbons and mining laws open previously state-reserved sectors to private and foreign investors, permit international arbitration and provide longer, transferable licences, while preserving state ownership and significant ministerial discretion. Legal experts view the changes as an improvement but not yet a fully competitive investment regime. Chevron and Eni have also announced new Venezuelan investments.

The United States has conducted roughly 60 strikes against alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific under Operation Southern Spear, killing more than 200 people. The Trump administration says the vessels were linked to terrorist drug-trafficking organisations and that the attacks complied with US and international law, while UN experts, human-rights groups and legal scholars argue that there is no armed conflict justifying the killings. Families of Colombian and Trinidadian men identified as fishermen have brought complaints before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and a US lawsuit alleging extrajudicial killing and other violations. The American Civil Liberties Union is also seeking the Justice Department’s classified legal justification, while critics warn that the US use of the term “narcoterrorism” is extending wartime powers into ordinary law enforcement.

More than 4,000—and possibly about 6,000—Cubans have reportedly been deported from the United States to Mexico during Donald Trump’s second term, despite many having spent decades in the US and some having no criminal record. Because Cuba commonly refuses US deportees, the men are left in Mexico awaiting asylum decisions, without work authorization, healthcare or stable access to basic services. Deportees describe harsh transfers and family separation, while Human Rights Watch researcher Alcira Silva Hava argues that redirecting removal orders from Cuba to Mexico without hearings may violate due process. A US government filing referenced an unwritten agreement allowing Mexico to accept Cuban nationals, prompting federal judge William Young to demand details; both the Trump administration and Mexico have not publicly clarified the arrangement.

Latin American countries are increasingly adopting AI regulations influenced by the European Union’s horizontal, risk-based framework focused on fundamental rights. Chile is developing legislation that combines obligations for high-risk AI with regulatory sandboxes and support for small businesses, while Peru, Brazil and El Salvador have also advanced AI rules. Experts caution that EU-style requirements could strain regulators and SMEs in a region with uneven legal systems and limited resources, although lighter US-style regulation may provide weaker safeguards on transparency and liability. Regional priorities also differ from Europe’s, with Latin America emphasizing financial inclusion, payments and other everyday applications. Chile is separately considering rules on AI-generated digital likenesses, deepfakes and copyright.

Venezuelans living in Mexico are divided between hope that Nicolás Maduro’s removal could enable a return home and fear that his political system and dangerous conditions remain intact. Interviewees describe Venezuela’s economic collapse, shortages, repression and mass migration, while the US bombing of Caracas and capture of Maduro have intensified concerns about sovereignty and renewed interventionism in Latin America. The Trump administration’s stated interest in Venezuela’s oil and threats of comparable action against Mexico are presented as especially alarming, while protests and the Zapatista movement have condemned the operation as profit-driven aggression.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s response to being sexually assaulted, including plans to strengthen criminal penalties for sexual violence, has been praised internationally but is criticized domestically for failing to address the deeper structural causes of gender-based violence. Feminist groups argue that widespread impunity, judicial cronyism, and preventive imprisonment undermine any legal reforms. Simultaneously, escalating militarization, highlighted by the new Plan Michoacán and elite police deployments such as the Pakales in Chiapas, is seen as perpetuating violence, particularly against poor and Indigenous communities. Persistent reliance on war-on-drugs strategies, continued under Sheinbaum and her predecessor Andrés Manuel López Obrador, is portrayed as incompatible with genuine improvements in women’s safety. The combination of ineffective legal systems and aggressive security policies raises serious doubts about the government’s ability to reduce gender-based violence.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s public sexual assault sparked widespread feminist support, but critics argue her response—pursuing criminalization of sexual assault and reinforcing security policies—fails to address the systemic violence facing women in Mexico. High impunity rates, judicial reforms that weaken rule of law, and widespread preventive imprisonment undermine meaningful accountability for gender-based crimes. Simultaneously, Sheinbaum’s renewed militarization strategy, including Plan Michoacán, continues a failed war on drugs that has intensified violence, particularly affecting poor and Indigenous women. Expanding military power, persistent cartel activity, and the targeting of marginalized communities illustrate deeper structural drivers of insecurity that new laws cannot resolve, casting doubt on claims that current government strategies improve safety for women.

The death of Jesus Alain Vasquez Perez, a student from the Mactumatza teacher training school in Chiapas, Mexico, has sparked debates about police violence and accountability. Vasquez died after falling from a pick-up truck during a police chase, amid protests for better educational access. The incident has drawn parallels to past student protests and police confrontations, notably the 2014 Ayotzinapa case. Human rights advocates, including Father Filiberto Velazquez Florencio, argue that excessive police force and intimidation tactics contributed to Vasquez's death. The Fuerzas de Reaccion Inmediata Pakal police force denies responsibility, attributing the incident to reckless driving by protesters. Investigations continue as conflicting narratives emerge, with student testimonies suggesting police aggression during the chase.

San Cristóbal de Las Casas faces severe water shortages, largely attributed to Coca-Cola's local bottling plant operated by FEMSA, which extracts significant water resources. Activists and local organizations criticize the company's impact on water availability and environmental health, advocating for reduced water extraction and increased corporate responsibility. The water crisis is exacerbated by untreated sewage, leading to health issues, and poor infrastructure maintenance. Local NGOs propose solutions like reforestation and community participation in water management, while calling for Coca-Cola to adopt more sustainable practices, such as using glass bottles and supporting environmental initiatives.

The article argues that Donald Trump’s portrayal of Mexico as responsible for US drug and migration problems is inconsistent with available evidence. Deportations to Mexico have continued under successive US administrations, while Mexico has long cooperated with US efforts to restrict migration. Deportees often face major difficulties reintegrating, especially those who grew up in the United States. Data cited in the article indicates that most fentanyl seizures occur at legal ports of entry and that US citizens predominantly traffic the drug into the country. The governments’ response—expanded deportations, tariffs and the deployment of military forces— is presented as largely symbolic and likely to increase corruption, repression and migrant deaths, while diverting resources from community-based support.