Trump signed executive orders Feb. 1 to impose 25% import tariffs on Mexico and Canada, and a 10% tariff on China. The tariffs, which include a carve-out of a lower 10% levy on Canadian energy exports, were imposed under a “national emergency” exemption to the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), citing a crisis of illegal migration and drugs. The tariffs on China remain in place, and are being challenged by Beijing before the World Trade Organization (WTO). (LatinVex, Atlantic Council, Jurist)

Photo: SEDENA via Peninsula360

The new pipeline would move gas from fields in Tlaxcala to industrial zones in Morelos. Opponents say the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) has failed to properly consult with the big majority of the approximately 80 campesino and indigenous communities whose lands will be impacted by the project. Roadblocks and other local actions have also opposed the planned Arco Poniente highway linking the region to Mexico City, and the privatization of water services in Puebla. Organizations including the Union of Indigenous Communities of the North Isthmus Zone (UCIZONI) and the Indigenous Agrarian Zapatista Movement (MAIZ) have pledged new militant protests to demand the release of the detained campesino leaders. (Municipios Puebla, April 9; Proceso, La Jornada de Oriente, e-consulta, April 8)