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What’s New This Week

Good morning, this week, fentanyl is no longer just passing through Mexico—it’s settling in, and border communities are fighting back. As supply chains evolve, Churchill’s wartime wisdom is being reimagined for today’s logistics battles. We also spotlight how air travel between Mexico and the U.S. could soon get smarter, faster, and safer—just in time for the World Cup.

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Trade Winds

Turning Tariffs into Opportunities: How Foreign Trade Zones Provide a Competitive Edge

In today’s rapidly changing trade landscape, unpredictable tariff policies and shifting regulations can strain profit margins and derail even the most carefully planned supply chains. Many businesses are seeking shelter from the chaos—particularly those operating across international borders, where sudden customs changes and border bottlenecks can create significant uncertainty.

One of the most effective ways to manage these challenges is by leveraging foreign trade zones, especially Mexico’s Recintos Fiscalizados Estratégicos (RFEs). These zones serve as a strategic “buffer,” enabling companies to defer or reduce duties and store goods under flexible conditions before final import decisions are made. Combined with a puente aéreo or “air bridge”—which bypasses crowded land borders by delivering goods straight to an inland customs facility—an RFE can slash transit times, administrative hurdles, and tariff-related risks.

Power Move

One-Stop Security for Truly Seamless Travel

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup poised to bring record-breaking travel between Mexico and the U.S., we face a clear inefficiency: forcing passengers to retrieve and recheck bags at U.S. connections—often with another round of security. These redundancies frustrate travelers, consume resources, and can undermine security. One-Stop Security (OSS) fixes this by applying one set of airport screening standards for both baggage and passengers.

Currently, a traveler from Mexico City to Seattle, connecting in Phoenix, must pick up their bag, clear Customs, recheck the bag, and possibly undergo a second TSA screening. Missed connections are common, and CBP and TSA officers are distracted from genuine threats by re-clearing travelers already vetted abroad.

This burden extends to passengers themselves. Even with thorough screening in Mexico City, travelers typically face another round in Phoenix. They repeat the same steps twice, reducing efficiency and adding stress.

Under OSS, any passenger and luggage rigorously screened at a departure airport meeting U.S. standards would not require another full screening upon arrival. Airports would adopt consistent security measures, allowing travelers to head directly to their connecting gates. That means no reclaim, no re-check, no extra checkpoint.

The same would hold true for U.S. passengers headed to one of the three Mexico host venues (Monterrey, Guadalajara, or Mexico City)

In fact, multiple bag hand-offs and repeated passenger checks can weaken security by creating more opportunities for error. By establishing a single, high-standard process, OSS reduces chaos at crowded checkpoints and lets officers focus on real risks.

The upcoming FIFA World Cup makes this urgent. Millions of fans will travel among host cities in Mexico, the U.S., and Canada. A unified approach will streamline connections, cut queues, and present a modern, welcoming travel experience.

One-Stop Security envisions you dropping your bag in Mexico City and collecting it only in Seattle (or your final destination)—while you simply move onward without re-lining, re-removing shoes, or re-scanning electronics. It’s the ultimate blend of convenience and vigilance, ensuring that as we welcome global visitors, we maintain the highest security standards. With OSS, we can seize the World Cup moment, reduce hassles, and redefine the future of international air travel—where seamless connections and robust security go hand in hand.

The Border Buzz

La Frontera Fights Fentanyl: When Transit Hubs Become Consumer Markets

For decades, border communities in Mexico have been largely seen as transit routes for drugs heading north. Now, rising fentanyl use within those very communities is ushering in new dangers. Cheaper and more potent than other opioids, fentanyl fuels a local market for cartels seeking to broaden their profits, placing border populations at unprecedented risk of addiction and overdose.

In Tijuana, health workers report a surge in fentanyl-linked overdoses, highlighting that consumption is no longer confined to U.S.-bound shipments. Ciudad Juárez, too, has documented escalating opioid hospitalizations. Smaller gateways like Nogales and Mexicali, once overlooked, are increasingly seeing supply routes leave behind local user populations.

This shift from transit to consumer hubs is driven by fentanyl’s affordability and potency, and Mexico’s public health system has not traditionally been equipped to handle an opioid crisis. Many border cities lack comprehensive drug treatment facilities or adequate funding, leaving families vulnerable to the drug’s devastation.

Yet, border communities are pushing back. Grassroots organizations distribute naloxone, an overdose-reversal medication, in an effort to save lives. Local governments partner with nonprofits and some U.S. agencies to train first responders and educate youth on fentanyl’s dangers. These initiatives acknowledge that enforcement alone cannot counter a public health emergency of this scale.

Ultimately, reversing the rise in fentanyl consumption along the U.S.-Mexico border demands a community-centered approach—one that prioritizes treatment access, education, and cross-border collaboration. As the line between transit corridor and consumer market continues to blur, local leaders are finding that addressing addiction at its roots is the surest way to keep border communities safe and resilient.

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