The U.S. Border Patrol's historical operational responsibilities have been primarily limited to stopping the illegal movement of people and drugs along the borders with Mexico and Canada and in some coastal regions.
November 19, 2025
high
temporal
Describes the traditional geographic and mission scope of U.S. Border Patrol operations.
As of 2025, vessels departing Mexico for the United States commonly depart at night and sometimes travel hundreds of miles north along the Pacific coast.
November 17, 2025
high
temporal
Describes typical operating patterns of maritime migrant smuggling ventures.
Rivers such as the Rio Grande can change course over time, and changes in water depth and topography can alter perceptions of the international boundary's location; treaties governing the U.S.-Mexico boundary require clear demarcation of the national border when such changes occur.
November 17, 2025
high
geopolitical
Natural shifts in river channels affect how international boundaries defined by rivers are perceived and legally demarcated.
Treaties between the United States and Mexico require clear demarcation of the national border when rivers such as the Rio Grande change course.
November 17, 2025
medium
temporal
Border-management principle applied when natural waterways alter the perceived boundary.
Mexico is a major source of fentanyl that is exported toward the United States.
November 06, 2025
medium
descriptive
Characterization of fentanyl production and export flows discussed in U.S. drug-policy and security contexts.
Under that tariff policy, imports from allies such as Canada and Mexico were taxed at 25%, and Canada's tariff rate was later increased to 35%.
November 05, 2025
high
policy
Describes specific tariff rates applied to imports from certain allied countries under the policy.
APEC member economies include China, Mexico, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, and Vietnam.
October 29, 2025
high
descriptive
Examples of APEC member economies
China is the United States' third-largest trading partner after Mexico and Canada.
October 26, 2025
high
economic
Relative ranking of U.S. trade partners by trade volume.
As of 2025, most cocaine destined for the United States originates along Colombia’s Pacific coast and commonly transits through Ecuador, Peru, or Venezuela before moving north via the Caribbean, Mexico, or increasingly via Pacific maritime routes.
October 23, 2025
high
temporal
Typical trafficking origins and transit routes for cocaine bound for the U.S.
Fentanyl that contributes to overdose deaths in the United States is transported overland from Mexico.
October 22, 2025
high
temporal
Primary overland source country for fentanyl entering the United States.
Mexico has been a primary source or transit route for fentanyl that reaches the United States, while China has been identified as a major supplier of precursor chemicals used to produce fentanyl.
October 22, 2025
high
general
Geographic roles in the fentanyl supply chain into the United States: production/transit versus precursor-supply.
The vast majority of fentanyl that enters the United States flows through Mexico, and there is little evidence that significant fentanyl production occurs in the Andes.
October 20, 2025
medium
drug_trafficking
General statement about primary trafficking routes and regional production for fentanyl.
A flesh-eating pest in Mexican cattle herds reduced beef imports from Mexico, which contributed to higher U.S. beef prices.
October 19, 2025
high
economic
Animal health issue in Mexico affecting cross-border beef trade and U.S. market supply.
There is little evidence that fentanyl is produced in the Andes region (which includes Ecuador), and the vast majority of fentanyl that flows into the United States enters through Mexico.
October 18, 2025
high
temporal
Regional production and trafficking routes for fentanyl relevant to U.S. drug inflows.
The Mexican government maintains a policy of not permitting foreign military forces to operate within Mexico's territory and emphasizes the non-negotiable nature of national sovereignty while allowing forms of cooperation such as intelligence sharing.
May 08, 2025
high
policy
Describes a general, reusable governmental policy position regarding foreign military presence and permissible cooperation measures.
The International Boundary and Water Commission is a binational agency tasked with defining and reviewing aspects of the U.S.–Mexico border.
May 08, 2025
high
institutional
Identifies a durable institutional actor responsible for boundary delineation between the United States and Mexico.
Raw sewage from the Tijuana River has flowed into Southern California from Mexico for decades, contributing to beach closures, cross-border public health impacts, and economic harm in the region.
January 01, 2025
high
temporal
Cross-border wastewater from the Tijuana River has been an ongoing transboundary pollution issue affecting Southern California and adjacent Mexican communities.
The Chicago Marathon had 52,150 finishers in 2024, including about 15,000 international participants; among foreign countries, Mexico was the most-represented with 3,790 participants in 2024, followed by the United Kingdom (2,814), Canada (2,442) and Brazil (1,811).
October 10, 2024
high
temporal
Participation and country-level breakdown for the Chicago Marathon in 2024.
Several countries, including Nicaragua, Palestine, Turkey, Spain, Mexico, Libya and Colombia, indicated support for South Africa's 2023 case at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide.
December 01, 2023
high
temporal
International diplomatic support reported in relation to South Africa's ICJ case alleging genocide.
Minute 328 is a 2022 agreement between the United States and Mexico, administered through the International Boundary and Water Commission, that comprises 17 sanitation infrastructure projects intended to address transboundary sewage and wastewater issues.
January 01, 2022
high
policy
Minute 328 frames binational infrastructure work to address sewage crossing the U.S.–Mexico border.
The 2020 United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) is a trade agreement among the United States, Mexico, and Canada that entered into force on 2020-07-01 and provides rules that can result in many goods being exempt from new bilateral tariffs among the three countries.
July 01, 2020
high
temporal
The USMCA replaced NAFTA and establishes tariff- and market-access-related rules among the three North American partners.
In 1995, the United States provided major financial assistance to Mexico during the Mexican peso crisis.
January 01, 1995
high
temporal
Historical precedent for large U.S. financial support to another country during a currency crisis.
Post-tropical cyclones and tropical storms in the eastern Pacific can produce heavy rainfall that triggers flooding and landslides in Mexico.
high
meteorological
Tropical systems and their remnants offshore western Mexico can produce heavy precipitation over Mexican states, leading to hydrological and geomorphological hazards.
Extradition is a legal mechanism that can be used to transfer individuals from Mexico to the United States to face criminal charges in U.S. courts.
high
temporal
General description of cross-border criminal prosecution and transfer mechanisms between Mexico and the United States.
Some U.S. lawmakers have called for additional Latin American countries, including Brazil and Mexico, to designate Hezbollah in its entirety as a terrorist organization.
medium
policy
Reported policy recommendation by U.S. senators aimed at expanding formal terrorist designations in Latin America.
Guadalajara is the capital city of the Mexican state of Jalisco.
high
descriptive
Geographic identification of a major Mexican city used for regional context.
Mexico has been a primary source of fentanyl sold in the United States, while U.S. authorities have increasingly focused on China-based suppliers of precursor chemicals used to produce fentanyl.
high
general
Describes major supply sources and enforcement focus related to fentanyl production and distribution.
Governments can apply tariffs as an enforcement measure against imports that do not meet the rules of a free‑trade agreement; for example, the United States applied a 25 percent tariff on Mexican imports that the United States said did not comply with the U.S.-Canada-Mexico free trade agreement.
high
policy
Describes a policy mechanism whereby tariffs are used to enforce compliance with free-trade agreement requirements.
Foreign tourists visiting Mexico's Pacific coastal states, including Baja California and Sinaloa, have been victims of violent criminal attacks, including murders.
high
temporal
General pattern of violent crimes affecting foreign visitors in Mexico's Pacific coastal regions.