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Latin American Publications!
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On April 25, activists and supporters from across southern Wisconsin gathered at the James Reeb Unitarian Universalist Hall to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Wisconsin Bail Out the People Movement (WiBOPM or “We Bop ‘Em”). The joyful event emphasized solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community, featuring talks and a drag show.
The WiBOPM was established in the wake of the historic 2011 occupation of the Wisconsin State Capitol to resist then-Gov. Scott Walker’s plans to gut collective bargaining. At its height, more than 100,000 union workers and community members joined the protests.
Today, WiBOPM is a multigenerational group with statewide reach and much experience under its belt, from supporting strikes in Madison to protesting racist police terror in Milwaukee, from opposing ICE terror against immigrants to demanding an end to US wars.
Activists and allies traveled from cities and towns across southern Wisconsin to join the celebration, including members of the Burlington Coalition for Dismantling Racism Plus (BCDR+) and Indivisible Winnebago WI.
WiBOPM’s distinctive yellow banners and colorful protest signs, seen at protests and meetings throughout the state, were hung throughout the event space.
A representative of the James Reeb Unitarian Universalist congregation welcomed the crowd, explaining that Reeb was a minister murdered by white supremacists in Selma, Alabama, during the Civil Rights movement.
A sign saying “Free Salah Sarsour now!” Photo: SLL.
Kai Rasmussen of WiBOPM laid out the agenda for the evening, drawing special attention to the many photo displays highlighting the group’s history and the contributions of trans activists like Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and Leslie Feinberg. A table was set up for people to write solidarity messages to Salah Sarsour, a Palestinian community leader from Milwaukee, kidnapped by ICE on March 30.
Bryan Pfeifer of WiBOPM. Photo: SLL.
WiBOPM founder and longtime labor organizer Bryan Pfeifer recounted how the group mobilized to protect the LGBTQIA+ community when the neo-Nazi “Blood Tribe” menaced the Watertown Pride event in July 2023. A few months later, WiBOPM organized a counter-protest that drove the fascists out when they attempted to march on the State Capitol in Madison.
Bianca Tomasini, Voces de la Frontera. Photo: SLL.
Bianca Tomasini of the immigrant rights movement Voces de la Frontera said: ”We are very grateful for all the times you have been there with Voces and for your support building May Day. Our members appreciate the allies who are stepping up. It’s a big deal for them to know they are not alone.”
Joanna Weir, Starbucks Workers United. Photo: SLL.
Joanna Weir, a Starbucks Workers United leader and WiBOPM activist, talked about the group’s work in solidarity with the Red Cup Rebellion, when baristas went on strike during the 2025 holiday season.
Ric Urrutia, a labor activist from Colorado who specializes in corporate research, spoke about how WiBOPM has organized teach-ins around the state to help local activists discover and expose the connections between big business, ICE, and data centers.
To mark the close of Lesbian Visibility Week, retired union member and WiBOPM activist Jana Bannon was honored for her contributions stretching back to the struggle to end the Vietnam War. Bannon was presented with a bouquet by WiBOPM’s Karissa Red Bear.
Struggle-La Lucha writer Melinda Butterfield was the keynote speaker, representing Women In Struggle-Mujeres En Lucha. Butterfield, visiting from New York City, was born and grew up in Wisconsin. “When I was a teenager in rural Wisconsin, I dreamed of finding an organization like this one,” she said. “I’m so glad it exists now.”
Butterfield spoke about the legacy of revolutionary transgender author and activist Leslie Feinberg for today’s struggle. Both Butterfield and Pfeifer worked with Feinberg, who passed away in 2014.
Brooklyn March To Free Cilia Flores: Solidarity With Venezuelan Women!
“Solidarity is hard when it feels like you’re the only side showing up, when trans people’s health care and rights are being stripped away, and cisgender people, including many left and progressive organizations, seem mostly unaware and unconcerned,” Butterfield said.
“But Leslie Feinberg argued that, as hard as it may be, trans people can’t isolate ourselves from the rest of the working class. We’re a small population—about 1% of people in the US by current measures—and to advance, we need the solidarity of our working-class siblings. But equally important, to change society, they need us.
“The way that our very existence challenges the underpinnings of capitalist patriarchy; the way our difficult life experiences gives us empathy, resourcefulness, and incredible internal strength—these things are necessary for the broader movement if we are going to advance to a new, more humane system and save the planet.”
Capping off the celebration was a fierce and fiery drag show organized by Madison icon and trans activist Cass Marie Domino. Energetic performances by Andi Withani Domino, Jacq Infiniti-Hall, Cici Voyer, and Pony Boy, accompanied by DJ Ravyn, had the crowd clapping and jumping to their feet.
The event concluded with people taking stacks of leaflets and posters to distribute for May Day.
Another 15th anniversary event is planned for August 22 in Milwaukee. For more information and to get involved with WiBOPM, follow @wi.bopm on Instagram or visit wibailoutpeople.org.
From Orinoco Tribune via This RSS Feed.
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This column by Fabrizio Mejía Madrid originally appeared in the May 1, 2026 edition of Sin Embargo. The views expressed in this article are the authors’ own and do not necessarily reflect those ofMexico Solidarity Mediaor theMexico Solidarity Project*.*
CIA agents Richard Leiter Johnston and John Dudley Black, who died in a reported car crash in Chihuahua, departed from a Covert Operations office in Monterrey, Nuevo León. This led to the National Action Party (PAN) joining the defense of the Chihuahua governor in support of the CIA, a defense also offered by the Citizen Movement Party. This office was established after John Ratcliffe became CIA director. A staunch supporter of Donald Trump, Ratcliffe, who received 20 Democratic votes for his Senate confirmation, has stated that the Counternarcotics Mission Center of the Americas, as its headquarters in Virginia is called, prioritizes U.S. security over the sovereignty of other countries. He also urged covert agents not to fear the risks of operating on U.S. soil. In other words, what Trump’s CIA wants is to enter other countries without permission and carry out police work that it isn’t even authorized to do in its own country because it’s another agency, the FBI, that legally has the authority to arrest people. But if it’s Mexico, the CIA acts with impunity, especially when it’s protected by subservient governors like Maru Campos and Samuel García.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe promised promised he would make the CIA more willing to conduct covert action, “going places no one else can go and doing things no one else can do.”
Since the Joe Biden years, and even more so during Trump’s second term, MQ-9 Reaper drones brought from Iraq and Syria have been used on Mexican soil to attack Mexican authorities without warning. Undercover agents have been disguised in state police uniforms, and, in general, everything that entails is that this public health issue in the United States is being addressed as a counterterrorism problem in Latin America. The fact that they were previously drug cartels and are now terrorist organizations changes the perspective from which the United States addresses it: before with the DEA, now with the CIA and the U.S. military. That was the change Donald Trump made, and that is the gravity of it.
I read, without giving credence to the Calderón-era columnists: why is Mexico protesting if the only thing that matters is that a drug lab was raided? There are three responses to this kind of irresponsible capitulation: first, sovereignty implies that Mexico has a protocol with U.S. agencies requiring permission to collaborate, and that is constitutionally legal in this country, whether they like it or not; second, Mexican authorities don’t need the CIA to dismantle laboratories, considering that during Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s administration, 2,592 laboratories were dismantled and two trillion pesos were seized, and so far under Claudia Sheinbaum, the average is four laboratories destroyed per day, meaning approximately 1,887 to date; third, this counterterrorism tactic constitutes a violation of human rights because there is no authority to answer to, as seen in the case of Maru Campos blaming the deceased, Pedro Román Oceguera, director of her state intelligence agency in Chihuahua. And, since he is dead, that’s where the explanations end because he cannot testify. With that trick, plus the resignation of her Attorney General Jáuregui—the same one who had lied about CIA agents flying drones nearby and who had asked the state police for a ride—Maru Campos intends to close the case and had the political indecency to stand up the Senate committee that required her to give some kind of explanation.
But the last point—that of the agents disguised as Chihuahua police officers—is worth understanding in more detail to grasp the gravity of what Campos and García have been supporting on the northern border of the Republic. Richard Leiter Johnston had been transferred from Afghanistan and Iraq to northern Mexico, along with the drones that were used in Iraq and Syria against Al-Qaeda and ISIS, themselves creations of the United States. There in West Asia, Leiter participated in the founding of a monstrosity in the southeastern region of Afghanistan, bordering Pakistan, called KP units, short for Khost Protection Force, the CIA’s paramilitary group. These KP units were based at Camp Chapman, the largest CIA base for covert operations in the world.
The idea behind the creation of these KP units was for them to undertake actions that, for legal reasons, the military could not justify. This included severe human rights violations, alteration of the nation’s infrastructure without any accountability, torture, murder, and kidnapping. The KP units were composed of local personnel who spoke the language but were under the orders of CIA agents. This made the Chihuahuans involved in the supposed dismantling of the laboratory subordinates of the Americans. We tend to think that the CIA agents were collaborating or simply observing, but that’s not the case. The KP units were directed by the Americans, by the CIA. This made the CIA agents in Chihuahua criminals who didn’t report their activities to anyone. They operated under Title 50 of the U.S. Security Act, which states that a President can order covert operations and deny their existence to any authority. In other words, these KP units operated outside the law of any country.
The history of KP units in Latin America is tragic. In Venezuela, they carried out sabotage operations to weaken the national army’s response when President Nicolás Maduro was kidnapped. In Colombia, it was the Jungle Command, a Green Beret group responsible for the summary executions of people whose identities—whether drug traffickers, guerrillas, or simply passersby—were never determined. In Panama City and Comalapa, El Salvador, they operate digital espionage centers monitoring phones and computers, without any judge ordering or prohibiting their activities. Impunity is the purpose behind the creation of these units. And, as far as we know, Maru Campos was involved in this. Nuevo León still needs to provide information about the CIA office in Monterrey.
In 2005, Americans massacred 24 men, women & children in an Iraqi town, Haditha.
They don’t capture people, they murder them. In case of mistaken identity, they claim that the innocent victims were actually members of a terrorist cell. They torture detainees before handing them over to any judicial authority. They violate the privacy of thousands of people through their networks of illegally intercepting conversations and text messages. A prime example was the Haditha massacre in Iraq, where 24 elderly people, children, women, and babies were murdered, and no judicial body could deliver justice because the killers argued that they were repelling an attack and that the deaths were caused by a terrorist bomb. Since there are no accountable authorities, the violation cannot be properly investigated. No one has been convicted for the Haditha massacre.
The next point is that this operation wasn’t simply about some Americans dismantling a supposed clandestine lab. The operation began in January when CIA agents Johnston and Black arrived at the Monterrey office, just as Radcliffe was confirmed as director of that spy agency by both Democrats and Republicans. The routes of precursor chemicals arriving from the Port of Mazatlán were mapped. For the covert activities in the Sierra Tarahumara, an agreement was made with Attorney General Jáuregui, the same one who claimed they were drone flight instructors and who has now resigned for lying. Between February and March, the MQ-9 drones began operating, their data being sent to the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, which constitutes a serious violation of Mexican sovereignty. In March, agents disguised as state police officers also appeared to verify the drone data on the ground. These are at least three separate operations. Then came the failed one. It was Operation Guachochi, which involved raids on towns in the Sierra and interrogations. Until April 19, when the alleged landslide exposed these illegal and politically irresponsible activities.
Disguised as state police officers to avoid raising suspicion within the Mexican Army, Johnston and Black entered Mexico by lying about their legal status. One entered as a tourist and the other with a diplomatic passport. Their activities are prohibited by Article 71 of the National Security Law, passed in 2020, which states:
“Foreign Agents must observe the following provisions:
- They may only carry out liaison activities for the exchange of information with Mexican authorities in accordance with the provisions of the accreditation issued in their favor;
- They may not exercise the powers reserved to Mexican authorities nor may they apply or enforce foreign laws in national territory;
- They must refrain from making direct dealings with authorities other than the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the relevant agencies in accordance with the respective international cooperation agreements signed by the Mexican State on security matters and that contribute to preserving National Security;
- They must inform the relevant Mexican authorities, in accordance with the respective international cooperation agreements signed by the Mexican State regarding security and which contribute to preserving National Security, of the information they obtain in the exercise of their functions;
- They must submit a monthly report to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and of Security and Citizen Protection regarding matters related to bilateral cooperation agreements signed by the Mexican State in the area of security that contribute to preserving National Security. This report must include the activities and actions they undertake with various federal, state, and municipal authorities. In all cases, they must maintain the confidentiality of the information they obtain as a result of applying the bilateral cooperation agreements, in accordance with the terms established therein.
- They shall be prohibited from carrying out or inducing third parties to carry out arrests, to carry out actions aimed at depriving people of their liberty, to trespass on private property or any other conduct that violates the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States and applicable national laws;
- They must refrain from engaging in activities that endanger their physical safety. Consequently, they must comply with the criteria established by the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection, and
- They may only carry firearms that, if applicable, are authorized by the Ministry of National Defense.
As previously stated, Maru Campos violated the provisions of this National Security Law by allowing a hybrid unit, also known as a KP unit, to operate independently in the mountains of her state, a region she herself has never visited. She faces numerous accusations, including receiving a 10.3 million peso bribe to avoid prosecuting former governor César Duarte, who recently returned to prison. Campos also forgave César Duarte’s family 34 million pesos in taxes, despite this being prohibited by the Constitution. But, well, Maru and legality don’t exactly go hand in hand. Furthermore, she has spent two billion pesos cleaning up her image in the media, buying articles, columnists, and personal advertising. This two billion pesos is public money. As if this weren’t scandalous enough, she has indebted her state by three billion pesos, a debt that will continue for another 25 years, until April 2026, or until 2051.
A 2023 confrontation in Guachochi, Chihuahua left eight dead.
Her failure to address security is almost as scandalous as her corruption. Chihuahua has the second-highest homicide rate in the country, after Guanajuato. With only three percent of Mexico’s population, it accounts for eight percent of the nation’s crime. From 2020 to 2025, kidnappings in the state increased by 355 percent, an 81 percent increase in the last three years alone. Given this level of insecurity, the Governor of Chihuahua thought it was a good idea to dismantle alleged methamphetamine labs in the Sierra Tarahumara so that addicts from Texas and Arizona wouldn’t buy them. She has rejected social welfare programs that address the root causes of crime, was the only governor to prohibit the distribution of free textbooks in her state’s public schools, and now she is defying the executive branch by not answering the President’s calls, and the legislative branch by failing to appear before the Senate. She authorized the entry of an illegal unit led by CIA agents into national territory. She must face impeachment because, as in the case of Monterrey, some governors are blatantly disregarding the Constitution. It is a threat of secession from the Republic and must not be allowed.
As for the CIA, it has violated the Mexican Constitution and I do not believe that its prompt expulsion from the national territory can be avoided.
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Fracking & Sovereignty
May 3, 2026
When a measure that opens up strategic exploitation to private companies is applauded by the right wing, its business leaders, and spokespeople, can we expect it to translate into benefits for the majority, development, and national sovereignty?
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Expel the CIA
May 3, 2026May 3, 2026
“The CIA has violated the Mexican Constitution and I do not believe that its prompt expulsion from the national territory can be avoided.”
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Audio Links Milei to Regional Disinformation Operation Against Sheinbaum & Petro
May 3, 2026May 3, 2026
Argentine President Javier Milei reportedly contributed $350,000, according to audio recordings of former Honduran and drug trafficker President Juan Orlando Hernández.
The post Expel the CIA appeared first on Mexico Solidarity Media.
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Audio Links Milei to Regional Disinformation Operation Against Sheinbaum & Petro
(mexicosolidarity.com)
This article by Stella Calloni originally appeared in the May 2, 2026 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.
Buenos Aires. Argentine President Javier Milei allegedly contributed $350,000 to form a regional communications team to launch a media campaign against the presidents of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, and Colombia, Gustavo Petro, according to audio recordings of a conversation between former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández and current Honduran authorities, which caused a strong reaction in Argentina.
The audios “from WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram, are part of a detailed journalistic investigation published in Diario Red América Latina, directed by the Spaniard Pablo Iglesias (based in Mexico) and the Hondurasgate portal,” says the newspaper Página 12.
Hernández was arrested for drug trafficking in the United States in 2024, sentenced to 24 years in prison and pardoned by President Donald Trump, despite being one of the most important drug kingpins in the region.
In one of the audio recordings, Hernández stated that “as part of that group or ‘continental entity,’ Milei’s role is important because he contributes thousands of dollars to the construction of those fake news sources. We are going to set up a cell, President (of Honduras, Nasry Asfura). From here, from the United States, so that they can’t track us there in Honduras. It’s going to be like a Latin American news site,” the newspaper highlighted.
The audio also reveals that Hernández has the task of “attacking and eradicating the cancer of the left there, in Honduras and throughout Latin America,” Diario Red points out, for which he needs to organize and install in the United States a “digital journalism unit” that will be managed by “someone else from here, from the team of the President of the United States.”
In an audio recording from January 30, Hernández maintains that he was “on a call with President Javier Milei and it was successful. Very, very, very good, and I believe that at this point we can do great things for all of Latin America. There are pending cases against Mexico, there are pending cases against Colombia, and most importantly, against Honduras, in this case against the Zelaya family.”
On the same day, another conversation was leaked in which Hernández sends a message to the Vice President of Honduras, María Antonieta Mejía, telling her that he needs “that liquidity because we are going to set up an office here. With the support of some Republicans, we will be able to attack and eradicate the cancer of the left in Honduras and throughout Latin America.”
And again it emerges that he had sent messages to President Asfura and told him that he had been able to speak with Milei and “another great friend of ours from Mexico is also supporting us, now regarding the issue of Mexicans. We are quite ready and hoping that this will move forward strongly.”
Former Honduran President Hernández, a Trump protégé, also claimed that his pardon was obtained thanks to “the ‘money’ contributed by a group of rabbis,” and that is why everything he does is in favor of the United States and Israel, guaranteeing their control of the area “and, above all, ensuring a legal framework that benefits US and Israeli artificial intelligence companies.”
It was at Trump’s behest that this team was formed, following the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro Moro and his wife Cilia Flores on January 3rd. At that time, Milei ordered a campaign to be launched against the Venezuelan leader with a special protocol, offering the United States that Maduro would be arrested and “extradited” to Argentina.
Milei’s popularity is declining daily, and polls indicate that his popularity is at its lowest level in recent memory.
Currently, he faces demands for reports to parliament regarding the series of land and air military maneuvers taking place in Argentine Patagonia, part of whose territory has been handed over to foreign companies, and militarily to the Southern Command, in addition to the denunciation of the presence of 17,000 Israeli soldiers in that region.
In recent days, the demonstrations by the General Confederation of Labor on April 30th and then on May 1st, along with social organizations, led to decisions to move from offensive resistance through strikes and mobilizations, given the deteriorating social situation, and announced a national day of struggle, with a cessation of activities and mobilizations in the main cities of the country, for May 22nd.
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Fracking & Sovereignty
May 3, 2026
When a measure that opens up strategic exploitation to private companies is applauded by the right wing, its business leaders, and spokespeople, can we expect it to translate into benefits for the majority, development, and national sovereignty?
-
Expel the CIA
May 3, 2026May 3, 2026
“The CIA has violated the Mexican Constitution and I do not believe that its prompt expulsion from the national territory can be avoided.”
-
Audio Links Milei to Regional Disinformation Operation Against Sheinbaum & Petro
May 3, 2026May 3, 2026
Argentine President Javier Milei reportedly contributed $350,000, according to audio recordings of former Honduran and drug trafficker President Juan Orlando Hernández.
The post Audio Links Milei to Regional Disinformation Operation Against Sheinbaum & Petro appeared first on Mexico Solidarity Media.
From Mexico Solidarity Media via This RSS Feed.
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Tabasco Governor: US Accusations Against Morena Members are an “unsubstantiated act of interference”
(mexicosolidarity.com)
This article by Arturo Sánchez Jiménez originally appeared in the May 2, 2026 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.
Villahermosa, Tabasco. Ahead of Morena’s extraordinary national congress, Tabasco Governor Javier May Rodríguez asserted this Saturday that the accusations leveled against state governors from the United States are part of a pressure campaign driven by interests over the country’s natural resources. He also denied any concern among governors from his party.
Interviewed at the Villahermosa International Airport, before traveling to Mexico City to participate in Sunday’s party meeting—in which the national leadership will be renewed and Ariadna Montiel is a candidate—May dismissed the notion that the accusations against the governor on leave from Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha Moya, and other officials for alleged links to the Sinaloa cartel have weakened the movement.
“It’s not the governors; they want our natural resources, our land,” he stated. He added that the United States is going through “a deep crisis” and is trying to blame foreign entities for problems that are also its own responsibility.
“They need to look inward: who distributes drugs in the United States, how drug money enters the financial market. It’s a shared responsibility, but they blame outsiders for the tragedy they are experiencing,” he said.
Regarding the accusations made public this week by US authorities, May maintained that it is “an act of interference, without evidence,” and asserted that it is part of “a media campaign orchestrated by the right” with the purpose of equating Morena with past governments.
When asked if he feared the accusations could extend to other leaders, he replied: “I am more than calm. We will never betray the people.”
He also rejected any possibility of foreign agency agents interfering in his administration. “None whatsoever. And if they raise the issue, it will have to be through legal channels, via the Secretariat of External Relations,” he said.
Regarding the Morena party congress, he anticipated that there will be a relevant statement on the current national political situation.
“Morena will emerge much stronger from tomorrow’s congress. It will be a very good congress, and also a moment to evaluate the entire national context we face,” he said, while confirming his support “for Ariadna, the party, and the movement.” “Our movement is at its best,” he declared.
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Tabasco Governor: US Accusations Against Morena Members are an “unsubstantiated act of interference”
May 3, 2026May 3, 2026
Javier May Rodríguez said the US is going through a deep crisis and wants Mexico’s land and natural resources.
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Fracking & Sovereignty
May 3, 2026
When a measure that opens up strategic exploitation to private companies is applauded by the right wing, its business leaders, and spokespeople, can we expect it to translate into benefits for the majority, development, and national sovereignty?
-
Expel the CIA
May 3, 2026May 3, 2026
“The CIA has violated the Mexican Constitution and I do not believe that its prompt expulsion from the national territory can be avoided.”
The post Tabasco Governor: US Accusations Against Morena Members are an “unsubstantiated act of interference” appeared first on Mexico Solidarity Media.
From Mexico Solidarity Media via This RSS Feed.
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This editorial by Abraham Nuncio originally appeared in the April 30, 2026 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper. The views expressed in this article are the authors’ own and do not necessarily reflect those ofMexico Solidarity Mediaor theMexico Solidarity Project*.*
Few moments in our contemporary history have been more urgent and valid to speak of national sovereignty than they are now. Various actors and political measures threaten, undermine, and weaken it. We see this in the practical decisions that the United States government makes in the name of its national security and the fight against drug trafficking against countries that do not fully align with its policies, including, notably, our own. We also observe it in the partisan opposition and its media and social expression, without ignoring measures taken by the Mexican government—both federal and some state—that have the same effect.
Today we are suffering the consequences of what many voices warned about regarding Ambassador Ronald D. Johnson’s interventionist and destabilizing past. Those warnings were dismissed, and his presence in our country was accepted. What, then, is the purpose of the agrément? Its application, in this case, would have spared us the serious problems we face today with an equally dangerous Lane Wilson.
National sovereignty—which also requires timely decisions—is broken down into many different dimensions: territorial, subsoil, airspace, hydrographic, and water resources. And also agricultural, health, educational, financial, and others.
The self-justifying and demagogic nature of the fight against drug trafficking was laid bare in the US military attack on Venezuela. Hospitals, research units, and civilian areas were bombed. None of the attacks targeted a single drug den. Of course, because even if one had existed, that wouldn’t have been their objective.
Thanks to important investigations and journalistic reports, we now know that drug traffickers, counterinsurgency paramilitaries, anti-terrorist forces, certain intellectual circles and media outlets are nothing more than instruments of the United States to destabilize governments and legitimize its neocolonial atrocities in the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.
There are various cracks through which the maneuvers of both the one and the other in the anti-sovereign war can seep in. The economic crack is the largest.
In an article in El Coahuilense, we read that more than 35 organizations protested against fracking. We found neither the civic awareness nor the journalism of that publication in Nuevo León. “They assert that while Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum proposes a ‘scientific committee’ to discuss supposedly sustainable fracking , the international evidence is clear: this practice consumes enormous quantities of water, contaminates it, worsens air quality, affects people’s health, and leaves lasting damage to the land. Sustainable fracking does not exist .”
The same statement asserts, regarding sovereignty, that “fracking does not represent sustainable development for Coahuila nor energy sovereignty for Mexico. It depends on external financing and foreign technology, so the benefits are concentrated in large international companies, while the state’s local communities would bear the environmental, social, and health costs.” Hence their criticism: “It is unacceptable that this week the governor is traveling to the United States to seek investments for this industry. Instead of protecting the water, health, and future of Coahuila’s communities, he is offering the state’s territory to expand a technique banned in various countries, such as France, Ireland, and Uruguay.”
The same environmental and social damage (cracks in homes due to certain earthquakes, water scarcity and contamination) that result from shale gas extraction has been observed in the Burgos Basin (Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas) or in the Palo Duro and Dalhart Basins (Texas) or the Bakken Basin (North Dakota).
The “experts,” as we know, know a lot about very little. And when it comes to an energy resource, a multidisciplinary and thorough understanding is required. In two months, there will only be enough time for a fast-track legislative approval of the intensive use of fracking. Regarding this issue, I have several questions.
The United States’ dependence on gas (almost 70 percent) is real. One. How is this type of energy distributed in terms of development? Two. Could Washington truly cut off the gas it sells to Mexico without shooting itself in the foot?
Shale gas exploration and extraction is not new in Mexico; it has been going on for over a decade. According to the Mexican Alliance Against Fracking, nearly 8,000 wells have been drilled in Mexico with little regard for environmental and social impact. Officially, it has been stated that future operations will be more sustainable thanks to technological advancements. These advancements already existed before 2010. Why weren’t they adapted to the conditions of that time? Could it be because they are less profitable? What real and verifiable sustainability experiences will the ad hoc committee formed by the government use as a basis for its studies and conclusions? When a measure that opens up strategic exploitation to private companies is applauded by the right wing, its business leaders, and spokespeople, can we expect it to translate into benefits for the majority, development, and national sovereignty?
Regarding national sovereignty, there is no doubt. It is essential to decisively support President Claudia Sheinbaum and her government. But without partisan or self-serving blind allegiance. And even less so without the necessary, ongoing, and irrevocable exercise of critical judgment.
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Fracking & Sovereignty
May 3, 2026
When a measure that opens up strategic exploitation to private companies is applauded by the right wing, its business leaders, and spokespeople, can we expect it to translate into benefits for the majority, development, and national sovereignty?
-
Expel the CIA
May 3, 2026May 3, 2026
“The CIA has violated the Mexican Constitution and I do not believe that its prompt expulsion from the national territory can be avoided.”
-
Audio Links Milei to Regional Disinformation Operation Against Sheinbaum & Petro
May 3, 2026May 3, 2026
Argentine President Javier Milei reportedly contributed $350,000, according to audio recordings of former Honduran and drug trafficker President Juan Orlando Hernández.
The post Fracking & Sovereignty appeared first on Mexico Solidarity Media.
From Mexico Solidarity Media via This RSS Feed.
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Venezuela to Participate in International Court of Justice Hearing on Essequibo Territory
(orinocotribune.com)
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How US Militarization Is Redefining the Americas: Elastic Borders and Fortress Capitalism
(orinocotribune.com)
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Housing Orgs & Experts See Fair Rents Reform as Insufficient in Face of Gentrification in Mexico City
(mexicosolidarity.com)
This article by Ivan Ortiz originally appeared in the May 2, 2026 edition of El Sol de México.
Various housing groups and specialists consulted by El Sol de México point out that the constitutional reform on Fair, Affordable and Reasonable Rents, presented by the head of Government, Clara Brugada Molina, is insufficient on its own to combat gentrification in Mexico City during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“These changes to the Constitution may help, but they won’t be enough to combat the gentrification caused by the World Cup. There’s already an industry that will capitalize on the event, with Airbnb-style accommodations, for example. After the World Cup, it will be very difficult to find affordable housing in high-demand areas,” explained Alejandro Larios, director of Conversasur, a group of researchers in urban development, the environment, and housing.
Natalia Lara, a member of the Neighborhood Assembly Against Megaconstructions in Tlalpan and Coyoacán, warned that rent increases are already being recorded near the Banorte Stadium (formerly Azteca Stadium) and a proliferation of Airbnb-type spaces.
“In Santa Úrsula Coapa, rent has doubled compared to last year. Before, it was between seven and eight thousand pesos. Today, it’s between 17 and 18 thousand pesos per month. In other neighborhoods, like Bosque de Tetlameya, we’re already seeing signs that say: houses for rent for the World Cup,” he said.
In July 2025, the mayor announced the Fair Rents Act initiative, as part of the 14 commitments of Bill 1, a set of measures to combat gentrification in the capital.
However, on April 22, Brugada Molina presented only one constitutional reform. The Fair Incomes Law, she explained, would be presented later as a second step, without specifying dates.
“There was probably pressure from real estate companies to prevent the law from being presented. But nine months after its presentation, none of the promises of the first phase have been fulfilled,” commented Eduardo Alanís of the Anti-Gentrification Front.
Arturo Aparicio, a lawyer specializing in housing, pointed out that since it is a constitutional initiative, it will not be submitted to the Plenary of the Mexico City Congress until September, when the next legislative period begins.
“Since it won’t be approved until then, fair rent protections are being postponed until the World Cup . A priority initiative could have been presented, but it wasn’t. By the time the vote takes place, there will already be even more speculation on land.”
“It’s documented how the World Cup exacerbates gentrification. A protocol against evictions and the regulation of short-stay platforms are urgently needed,” Eduardo Alanís pointed out.
The arrival of the World Cup this June means the arrival of thousands of foreigners and an increase in properties for residential tourism, such as Airbnb.
“It’s important to implement the Airbnb host registry before the World Cup to track the number of hosts and any changes. And to create a direct line of communication with the authorities to report arbitrary rent increases,” says Natalia Lara, of the Neighborhood Assembly Against Megaconstructions in Tlalpan and Coyoacán.
The 2018 scientific article Airbnb and the rent gap: Gentrification through the sharing economy warns that this platform causes the displacement of locals, as they are forced to pay rents and services set by a global demand instead of a local one.
However, these cases are not mentioned in the Fair Rents reform. Instead, it raises the right to remain in one’s neighborhood and states that the city government must mitigate the effects of gentrification.
To this end, it is proposed that the land reserve of the Mexico City government be permanently expanded and that rent for residential properties not be increased annually by more than the annual inflation rate. The initiative also includes the creation of an Office of the Ombudsman for Tenants’ Rights.
While they acknowledge that the creation of this body is a step forward, the groups and specialists agree that most of the points of the reform were not necessary, as they are already covered in other instruments.
“The rent cap with respect to inflation has been in the Civil Code for two years now, for example,” Eduardo Alanís pointed out.
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Labor | May Day | News Briefs
Mexico City’s International Workers Day Mobilized 20,000
May 2, 2026
National unions such as CNTE, SME and unions representing PEMEX and TelMex workers participated in multiple marches which converged on the Zócalo.
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Housing Orgs & Experts See Fair Rents Reform as Insufficient in Face of Gentrification in Mexico City
May 2, 2026May 2, 2026
Nine months after CDMX head Clara Brugada presented the Fair Rents Act, none of its initial promises have been fulfilled say housing advocates & newly announced initiatives will only be implemented far in the future.
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Labor | May Day | News Briefs
Tornel Workers Ask for President Sheinbaum’s Intervention to Resolve Strike
May 1, 2026
In March, striking workers were attacked on the picket line by an armed shock group who shot four workers.
The post Housing Orgs & Experts See Fair Rents Reform as Insufficient in Face of Gentrification in Mexico City appeared first on Mexico Solidarity Media.
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This article by Dana Estrada originally appeared in the May 1, 2026 edition of El Sol de México.
The Mexico City government reported that on May 1st, as part of the International Workers Day commemoration , 20,000 people marched, participating in numerous contingents and departing from various points in the city center.
According to the local Secretariat of Citizen Security (SSC), the mobilizations began to be registered from 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. this Friday; and the points from which different groups departed, including national unions such as the CNTE, PEMEX, TelMex, and more, were from the Angel of Independence, Bucareli, Monument to the Revolution, among others, but with the objective of reaching the Zócalo.
The SSC deployed approximately 500 police officers to monitor and ensure the safety of the demonstrations. A small contingent of protesters vandalized buildings with graffiti , but no major incidents occurred.
In addition, businesses adjacent to the Zócalo and the Metropolitan Cathedral , as well as other public and private establishments, were protected with fences, as El Sol de México was able to verify.
Photo: Jay Watts
“As part of this mechanism, the Dialogue and Coexistence Group , made up of personnel from the Undersecretariat of Political Coordination, Prevention and Good Governance (SCPPyBG) and the General Directorate of Government (DGG), accompanied the development of the mobilizations to promote agreements, prevent incidents and prioritize dialogue,” reported the SSC and the Secretariat of Government of the city.
It should be noted that the route of the contingents was mainly concentrated on Paseo de la Reforma, Avenida Juárez and Calle 5 de Mayo.
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Labor | May Day | News Briefs
Mexico City’s International Workers Day Mobilized 20,000
May 2, 2026
National unions such as CNTE, SME and unions representing PEMEX and TelMex workers participated in multiple marches which converged on the Zócalo.
-
Housing Orgs & Experts See Fair Rents Reform as Insufficient in Face of Gentrification in Mexico City
May 2, 2026May 2, 2026
Nine months after CDMX head Clara Brugada presented the Fair Rents Act, none of its initial promises have been fulfilled say housing advocates & newly announced initiatives will only be implemented far in the future.
-
Labor | May Day | News Briefs
Tornel Workers Ask for President Sheinbaum’s Intervention to Resolve Strike
May 1, 2026
In March, striking workers were attacked on the picket line by an armed shock group who shot four workers.
The post Mexico City’s International Workers Day Mobilized 20,000 appeared first on Mexico Solidarity Media.
From Mexico Solidarity Media via This RSS Feed.
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Venezuela’s Economy and Finance Minister: Wage Increase is Thanks to Economic Recovery
(orinocotribune.com)
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Freedom Trucks and Forgotten Crimes: Trump, PragerU, and the Rolling War Over America’s Past
(orinocotribune.com)
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Venezuelans from all corners of the country converged in the capital on Thursday, April 30, to demand the end of US-imposed unilateral coercive measures, culminating in a 12-day mobilization that traversed the country with the slogan: “Venezuela without sanctions and in peace.”
The meeting at 11:00 a.m. in the Jardín Botánico sector of the Gran Cacique Guaicaipuro Highway marked the conclusion of the first phase of the Great National Pilgrimage Against Sanctions that began on April 19.
Venezuelans have taken to the streets to denounce the impact of the sanctions on the people of the nation, underscoring that they do not simply affect the government but also directly affect the daily lives and livelihoods of every Venezuelan family.
A view of the march in Caracas. Photo: Alba Ciudad.
The initiative, which has the support of Acting President Delcy Rodríguez, is an act of national unity that transcends partisan differences to prioritize the recovery of the country’s future and the right to a dignified life.
During the 12 days of pilgrimage throughout the national territory, the participants have upheld the message that the end of the economic blockade is the indispensable condition for social stability.
The arrival of the march in the Venezuelan capital marks the final milestone of a logistical and human deployment whose objective is to highlight to the international community the urgency of ending the coercive measures that suffocate the national economy.
The atmosphere in Caracas reflects the culmination of a collective effort that aims to turn the fatigue from the miles traveled into a political and social force capable of driving a change in US foreign policy toward Venezuela, reaffirming sovereignty and the pursuit of a national consensus for peace.
On Wednesday, at an event in Aragua state, Acting President Delcy Rodríguez emphasized that national unity is the main tool to overcome the financial difficulties imposed from abroad for more than a decade.
In this context, she reiterated the call to the international community to support Venezuela’s right to regain its full commercial freedom without conditions imposed from abroad.
On Thursday, Rodríguez led a massive motorized caravan as part of the popular march that symbolized the determination of a people demanding the definitive end of unilateral coercive measures and respect for national sovereignty.
Acting President Delcy Rodríguez, accompanied by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and other leaders of Chavismo, wave to the marchers in the National Pilgrimage Against Sanctions, in Caracas. Photo: Presidential Press.
At the closing of the pilgrimage, a concert took place at the Simón Bolívar Park in La Carlota. Eight stages were set up for the concert, one for each star on the national flag.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/
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YouTube Quietly Erased More Than 700 Videos Documenting Israeli Human Rights Violations
(orinocotribune.com)
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Mexico City Workers Call for Unity on May Day; “there are still many labour problems”
(mexicosolidarity.com)
This article by Jared Laureles and Jessica Xantomila originally appeared in the May 1, 2026 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.
Mexico City. Without the presence of most union leaders and with a rally that lasted less than an hour, hundreds of workers commemorated International Workers Day. Some of their representatives called for unity because “there are still many labour issues” that need to be addressed and strikes continue across the country.
In the Plaza de la Constitución, where they set up a platform in front of the National Palace, they demanded a solution to the strikes at the Nacional Monte de Piedad and the Tornel tire factory, which have lasted seven months and two months, respectively.
Gerardo Meneses, general secretary of the Tornel company union, complained that despite the armed attack they suffered, “the authorities do not listen to us” and the employer does not want to respect the Collective Bargaining Agreement or the 40-hour work week to which they are entitled.
Meanwhile, the National Union of Petroleum Technicians and Professionals (UNTyPP) denounced that for the first time in 97 years, these workers did not receive a salary increase and, on the contrary, were affected by the constitutional reform that limits the so-called golden pensions of former public servants.
He pointed out that because of that amendment, which originally concerned high-ranking officials, technicians and professionals at Petróleos Mexicanos suffered a reduction in their pensions.
“These aren’t golden parachutes, they’re pensions earned through our work. Where is the legal certainty?” complained Silvia Ramos, a member of the UNTyPP oversight and auditing committee.
Nacional Monte de Piedad strike Photo: Jay Watts
At the rally, held under a blazing sun with a heat index of 27 degrees Celsius, attended by telephone operators, pilots, flight attendants, domestic workers, and a representation of the mothers and fathers of the 43 students from Ayotzinapa, they pointed out that there is also a lag in contractual wages, due to increases in the general minimum wage.
Furthermore, they complained that judges are declaring strikes illegal before they even begin. “Where is this labour reform that this government has been touting?” they asked.
Regarding the strike at Nacional Monte de Piedad, union leader Arturo Zayún said that seven months into the conflict, more than a thousand workers have been fired and the institution’s board “insists on eliminating” the collective bargaining agreement.
“United unions will never be defeated,” “National policy for wage recovery,” and “We demand respect for our rights” were some of the slogans chanted by hundreds of workers.
Given the urgency of the meeting with President Claudia Sheinbaum at the Cultural Center of Contemporary Mexico, scheduled for after 10 a.m., the few union leaders who attended the rally left before it ended, and those who were absent sent a representative to address the workers.
Isaías González, general secretary of the Revolutionary Confederation of Workers and Peasants (CROC), acknowledged that the presence of all the leaders of the General Assembly of Workers and the Trade Union Dialogue Table was needed.
“It is necessary for those unions that are at the dialogue table (with the President) to be here, because unity is not only found at the dialogue table but also at this event of workers and workers,” he stated.
At the end of his message, the union leader from Tornel also went to the Cultural Center of Contemporary Mexico, but he was not allowed access because he was not invited.
The contingents, which barely managed to fill a third of the Zócalo square, gradually withdrew during the rally, so by the end, there were few left.
Frente Nacional por las 40 Horas Photo: Jay Watts
Trade Unions, for the Defense of Sovereignty
In the morning, contingents of workers began to gather in the vicinity of the Palace of Fine Arts to participate in the march for International Workers’ Day, which would culminate at the Zócalo in Mexico City and where a rally would be held.
The unions that make up the General Assembly of Workers (AGT) raised the defense of national sovereignty, at a time when the government of Donald Trump insists on its interventionist intentions and within the framework of the review of the USMCA.
One of the groups, made up of telephone operators, pilots, flight attendants and university workers, as well as a representation of the mothers and fathers of the 43 missing students from Ayotzinapa, gathered at the intersection of Eje Central Lázaro Cárdenas and 5 de Mayo, and prepared a van with sound equipment.
Striking workers from the Tornel rubber company were one of the largest groups and marched down Francisco I. Madero Street. Wearing black jackets, accompanied by drumming and waving flags, they shouted slogans like “Here you see the strength of Tornel!”
The mobilization began around 8:30 a.m. towards the Plaza de la Constitución, since later, around two hours later, the union leaders were summoned to a breakfast meeting with President Claudia Sheinbaum at the Centro Cultural del México Contemporáneo.
As part of this International Workers Day march, the National Coordinator of Education Workers (CNTE) also marched from the Angel of Independence to the Zócalo to demand a salary increase and the repeal of the 2007 Issste Law for a dignified retirement.
From that point on Paseo de la Reforma, members of the Mexican Union of Electricians, workers from digital platforms and from the Cruz Azul and Pascual cooperatives also departed and met at the Angel of Independence.
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Labor | May Day | News Briefs
Tornel Workers Ask for President Sheinbaum’s Intervention to Resolve Strike
May 1, 2026
In March, striking workers were attacked on the picket line by an armed shock group who shot four workers.
-
Labor | May Day | News Briefs
Mexico City Workers Call for Unity on May Day; “there are still many labour problems”
May 1, 2026May 1, 2026
“Unity is not only found at the dialogue table but also at this event of workers and workers,” Isaías González of CROC stated.
-
Mexico’s Education Secretariat Will Meet with CNTE Teachers on International Workers Day
April 30, 2026
Secretary Delgado says “there is no need for demonstrations” in the streets, but stressed, “we are respectful” of the decisions they make.
The post Mexico City Workers Call for Unity on May Day; “there are still many labour problems” appeared first on Mexico Solidarity Media.
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Tornel Workers Ask for President Sheinbaum’s Intervention to Resolve Strike
(mexicosolidarity.com)
This article by Jessica Xantomila and Jared Laureles originally appeared in the May 1, 2026 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.
Mexico City. Workers from the Tornel tire factory demonstrated outside the Center for Contemporary Mexican Culture, while Mayor Sheinbaum met with union leaders, to request a meeting with her to discuss resolving the strike, which has lasted more than two months.
After marching and participating in a Labor Day rally in the Zócalo, the group of 400 Tornel workers moved towards the Cultural Center, located in Leandro Valle, and complained that they were not invited to the meeting with the president.
The protesters were attended to by the head of the Federal Center for Conciliation and Labor Registration (CFCRL), Alfredo Domínguez Marrufo, and the Undersecretary of the Interior, César Yáñez, to whom they reiterated the need to have a meeting with the head of the Executive branch.
“What we wanted was for the President to listen to us, because, frankly, the boss didn’t want to compromise with you at all,” said Gerardo Meneses, general secretary of the National Union of Workers of the Tornel Rubber Company.
He also requested a meeting with the Secretary of Labor, Marath Bolaños. “We already went to the Federal Center, and the company just walked away from the table and left us sitting there, because there’s no legal mechanism to compel them to meet with us,” he emphasized.
Domínguez Marrufo asked for time to “make the necessary arrangements again” to engage in dialogue with the parties. “We don’t want this to turn into a strike like the one at Monte de Piedad, which has lasted seven months. It hasn’t been easy,” he said.
Meneses responded that they have been waiting for a call to meet again for some time, to which the official acknowledged that it is because Alejandro Salafranca, head of the Decent Work Unit, “has not received a response from the directors, the proposal was offered to them.”
“We need to meet again,” Domínguez pointed out, “and we need to convince them that we need to reopen that plant, because both sides are losing.”
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Labor | May Day | News Briefs
Tornel Workers Ask for President Sheinbaum’s Intervention to Resolve Strike
May 1, 2026
In March, striking workers were attacked on the picket line by an armed shock group who shot four workers.
-
Labor | May Day | News Briefs
Mexico City Workers Call for Unity on May Day; “there are still many labour problems”
May 1, 2026May 1, 2026
“Unity is not only found at the dialogue table but also at this event of workers and workers,” Isaías González of CROC stated.
-
Mexico’s Education Secretariat Will Meet with CNTE Teachers on International Workers Day
April 30, 2026
Secretary Delgado says “there is no need for demonstrations” in the streets, but stressed, “we are respectful” of the decisions they make.
The post Tornel Workers Ask for President Sheinbaum’s Intervention to Resolve Strike appeared first on Mexico Solidarity Media.
From Mexico Solidarity Media via This RSS Feed.
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