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Whatโ€™s New This Week

{{Firstname|Good morning}}, this week, Mexico is soaring with record-breaking tourism numbers while the U.S. imposes a controversial $250 visa fee thatโ€™s drawing global backlash. Trump is threatening new tariffs, grounding flights, and dismantling cross-border partnershipsโ€”stalling Mexicoโ€™s nearshoring momentum and jeopardizing the very infrastructure America needs to stay competitive. And at the border? Wait times are surging, trade is slowing, and the world is watching.

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Inside Special Sections

  • Trade Winds: BlackRockโ€™s midyear outlook signals a seismic shiftโ€”hereโ€™s how Iโ€™m working to build the future through proximity, resilience, and infrastructure.

  • Power Move: As Mexico welcomes almost 40 million global visitors, U.S. tourism is choking on bad policy, new fees, and shrinking international appeal.

    Border Buzz: Border delays are more than localโ€”theyโ€™re bottlenecking trade, killing investor confidence, and threatening Americaโ€™s regional edge.

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The Quick Courier

๐Ÿ“š Trump Pushes Plan to Dismantle Education Department
Trump is charging ahead with efforts to eliminate the U.S. Department of Educationโ€”alarming educators and civil rights groups, and threatening federal protections for students nationwide.

๐Ÿšจ Cruelty Was the Point: Trumpโ€™s Border Blueprint Exposed
New reporting reveals how Trumpโ€™s immigration agenda used fear and chaos as a weaponโ€”turning cruelty into strategy, not accident.

๐Ÿ›ƒ Whatโ€™s Inside the New Dignity Act 2.0?
The bipartisan Dignity Act 2.0 proposes a path to legal status, border security upgrades, and visa reformsโ€”offering a rare, realistic framework amid Washingtonโ€™s immigration gridlock.

๐Ÿ“‰ Trumpโ€™s Tariffs Chill Mexicoโ€™s Nearshoring Surge
Trumpโ€™s looming 10โ€“30% tariffs on Mexico are already stalling nearshoring investments and intensifying pressure on Sheinbaum to get tougher on crime and cartels.

๐Ÿ’ธ $250 Visa Fee Sparks Global Backlash
A new โ€œVisa Integrity Feeโ€ for all U.S. nonimmigrant visa applicants could cost travelers over $250โ€”on top of other chargesโ€”fueling outrage and confusion abroad.

๐ŸŒŽ Mexico Shatters Tourism Records in 2025
With 39.4 million global visitors so far in 2025, Mexicoโ€™s tourism sector is boomingโ€”driving jobs, growth, and global prestige while the U.S. struggles to keep pace.

๐Ÿ›ซ U.S. Escalates Air Dispute Over Mexican Cargo Flights
The Trump administration is threatening broader flight restrictions on Mexico over cargo access disagreementsโ€”risking further disruption to trade, tourism, and U.S.-Mexico relations.

Trade Winds

The New Playbook for Power, Trade, and Trust

Border Infrastructure

Iโ€™ve spent decades navigating the space between governments, markets, and borders. From Nogales to Washington, and now across industrial corridors in Mexico and the U.S., Iโ€™ve learned that the future rarely shows up with a clean roadmap. But if you know how to read the terrain, you can still chart a path forward.

Thatโ€™s exactly what I thought reading BlackRockโ€™s 2025 Midyear Global Outlook. Their message? The traditional anchors of economic forecastingโ€”stable inflation, fiscal discipline, safe-haven assetsโ€”are fading. In their place, weโ€™re operating in a new regime defined by mega forces: AI, energy demand, geopolitical fragmentation, and supply chain realignment.

At my firm, Intermestic, we donโ€™t see this as chaos. We see it as clarity. Because in this environment, action favors those who understand proximity, resilience, and the power of private capital to fill public gaps.

Weโ€™re already applying that perspectiveโ€”whether itโ€™s through our partnerโ€™s EVโ€™s solar-powered cobalt processing facility in Yuma, or the SouthBridge logistics and manufacturing platform in Nogales, weโ€™re building what BlackRock describes: real infrastructure that meets the moment. But this shift affects more than just global investors or policy elitesโ€”it affects everyone thinking about where to allocate resources, how to protect assets, or where the next opportunity lies.

So what should you do with this information?

Three Strategic Moves for Border-Minded Leaders and Investors:

1. Own the Border Advantageโ€”Before the Rest of the World Does.
BlackRock makes it clear: supply chains canโ€™t be rerouted overnight. The U.S. economy is still tethered to complex, cross-border manufacturing ecosystems. Thatโ€™s why Arizona, Sonora, Baja California, and Chihuahua are becoming strategic goldminesโ€”not just for goods, but for energy, talent, and logistics.

๐Ÿ‘‰ What to do: If youโ€™re a public official, business owner, or investorโ€”double down on nearshoring. The border is no longer a bottleneck. Itโ€™s a launchpad.

2. Build Through the Gridโ€”and With It.
The AI arms race is constrained by infrastructure: power, water, connectivity. BlackRock reports a surge in private capital flowing into energy and grid systems as tech and industry collide. If we donโ€™t solve the capacity problem, innovation stalls.

๐Ÿ‘‰ What to do: Push for cross-border grid integration, binational energy partnerships, and climate-resilient water strategies. If you have a voice in infrastructure planning, now is the time to use it.

3. Watch Washingtonโ€™s Wallet. Act Locally.
BlackRock points to rising U.S. debtโ€”now over $36 trillionโ€”and a fragile fiscal future. Their forecast? Less federal bandwidth. More investor scrutiny. That makes public-private models more important than ever.

๐Ÿ‘‰ What to do: Donโ€™t wait for Washington. Start forming coalitions with local governments, Mexican partners, and private investors. Capital is readyโ€”but itโ€™s flowing to projects with urgency and clarity.

In a world where even the U.S. dollar is showing signs of vulnerability and EM currencies are gaining ground, the edge belongs to those who can act boldly, connect across borders, and adapt to this new era of uncertainty.

Old anchors are gone. But weโ€™ve got something betterโ€”vision, partners, and proximity to the action. Letโ€™s build the future from here.

Power Move

Tourismโ€™s Tipping Point: Why Mexicoโ€™s Boom Is a Warning for the U.S.

Tourism Makes Economies Work

Mexico is having a moment. In 2025, the country welcomed nearly 40 million international visitors, marking one of the strongest tourism surges in its history. From beach resorts to cultural capitals, Mexico has gone all-in on connectivity, ease of entry, and hospitalityโ€”and it's paying off in a big way.

Meanwhile, the United Statesโ€”once the undisputed magnet for global travelersโ€”is struggling. International arrivals are down 12% year-over-year, and tourism leaders are warning of a $22 billion revenue loss. For border states like Arizona, where tourism is a pillar of the economy, that decline hits especially hard.

The reasons are stacking up:

  • Trade tensions and diplomatic frictions have cooled enthusiasm, especially among Canadian and Mexican travelers.

  • Tougher immigration enforcement and unpredictable airport treatment are making the U.S. feel unwelcoming.

  • The new $250+ Visa Integrity Fee, passed under the โ€œOne Big Beautiful Bill Act,โ€ adds another layer of cost and confusion. Visitors must now pay this non-waivable, up-front fee on top of existing visa chargesโ€”and may only be reimbursed years later, if at all.

  • The I-94 fee has also quadrupled, adding even more financial friction for travelers.

  • At the same time, Brand USA, the nation's tourism marketing engine, saw its funding slashed from $100 million to $20 million, just as the U.S. prepares to host global mega-events like the FIFA World Cup 2026 and America's 250th anniversary.

Whatโ€™s the message the U.S. is sending? โ€œYou can comeโ€”if you can afford it, navigate the bureaucracy, and accept the risk.โ€

By contrast, Mexico is sending a different message: โ€œWeโ€™re open, accessible, and ready to welcome you.โ€

This divergence isnโ€™t just about tourismโ€”itโ€™s a broader test of soft power, economic foresight, and international trust. And for states like Arizona, which benefit from cross-border mobility and binational travel, itโ€™s a wake-up call.

3 Power Takeaways:

  • Arizona stands to lose: With fewer visitors crossing from Mexico or flying in from abroad, local businesses, parks, and service workers will bear the brunt.

  • Bad policy has a price: Punitive fees and cuts to tourism promotion send the wrong message at the worst time.

  • Mexico is outpacing us: By lowering barriers, investing in infrastructure, and avoiding nationalist posturing, Mexico is claiming the momentum America once held.

Tourism is more than a transactionโ€”itโ€™s a reflection of how the world sees you. Right now, the world sees Mexico as a host. The U.S.? More and more, itโ€™s looking like a hassle.

The Border Buzz

Stuck at the Gate: How Border Delays Threaten Americaโ€™s Global Edge

Trade. Stalled. Here.

In 2025, weโ€™re not just losing time at the borderโ€”weโ€™re losing opportunity.

From Laredo to San Ysidro, U.S.-Mexico border wait times have grown 40% longer this year, according to a Border Report investigation. Thatโ€™s not just a headache for commutersโ€”itโ€™s a direct hit to trade, tourism, and trust.

The U.S. calls Mexico its top trading partner. But try telling that to the truck driver sitting six hours deep in a customs lineโ€”or the tourist skipping a trip to Arizona because of unpredictable delays. While Mexico is streamlining infrastructure and expanding hours at key ports, the U.S. is understaffed, underfunded, and increasingly seen as unreliable.

This is no longer a โ€œborder townโ€ issueโ€”itโ€™s a national competitiveness crisis:

  • Slower trade means higher costs for manufacturers and fewer just-in-time shipments.

  • Tourism delays chip away at the visitor experience, especially for international travelers from Mexico.

  • Investor confidence dips when critical goods and people canโ€™t move efficiently across borders.

And as the global economy shifts toward regional supply chains and nearshoring, that inefficiency has consequences far beyond the border.

The U.S. touts its commitment to competitiveness, yet in 2025, itโ€™s still treating ports of entry like Cold War checkpoints. Meanwhile, Mexico is investing in its advantageโ€”faster customs tech, modern infrastructure, and integrated logistics planning.

Buzz Highlights:

  • Border wait times are eroding America's ability to capitalize on nearshoring and regional integration.

  • Delays at ports of entry are now a national liability, not just a regional nuisance.

  • If the U.S. wants to lead in North America, it has to start acting like it at the border.

The U.S.-Mexico border isnโ€™t just where goods pass through. Itโ€™s where reputations are builtโ€”or bottlenecked.

Power Poll

Do you believe the U.S. should create a more streamlined legal pathway for immigrant workers in essential industries like agriculture and manufacturing?

Immigrant workers are vital to the U.S. economy, yet policies remain outdated. Should the U.S. create a clearer legal pathway or tighten restrictions? Vote now!

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