Experts in the News

“It’s millions of pesos in extortions, and everyone is in on it,” said Payan. “In other words, it’s an extortion force."

What does Mexico's new president mean for U.S-Mexico relations? "The two countries have been suffering from an incredible fumbling of the ball in dealing with each other," said Payan. "I think the two countries need to come back to the table."

A divided congress has made immigration a difficult topic, but an aging working population and flat or dropping fertility rates are creating space to be filled, said Payan. “It doesn’t mean we have to take in 100 million people from around the world, but there is room for a few million that can settle and revitalize” communities and the U.S. economy.

“I think there’s a lot of pressure from the Biden administration on the Lopez Obrador administration to crack down. Biden has a particular interest in deactivating immigration as a political issue in the fall, this is his Achilles heel,” said Payan. The surge in illegal migration has proven to not be “politically sustainable in Mexico, in the US, or anywhere else."

In this year's presidential elections, the U.S. and Mexico are both anticipating complaints of election fraud and potential violence at the polls. "This will likely be a year of high political violence in Mexico," said Payan. "Candidates have already been killed and others are being intimidated by organized crime."