Mexico recently elected to pause relations with the United States and Canada following the countries’ condemnations of proposed Mexican judicial reform. Mexican officials stress that the pause solely applies to the embassies of the U.S. and Canada and not to the countries themselves. The decision was made by the current Mexican president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, whose term ends in September. The proposed reforms seek to elect judges based on a popular vote in place of the current system which appoints judges based on specialized training and qualifications. This will affect all levels of Mexican courts from the local level to the Supreme Court. The New York Times describes the intended outcome of these reforms as preventative measures against judicial corruption which includes rulings that acquitted drug traffickers in the past. Despite this, there has been domestic push back in addition to international discontent. Thousands of court workers and judges protested in 20 cities throughout Mexico this week as they feared for the stability of their jobs. The law has passed the lower house of Mexican Congress, but still requires a ⅔ vote in the upper house to officially amend the constitution which is expected once the new congress takes office on September 30th. 

Reuters quotes the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, as referring to these pending reforms as, “a major risk to the functioning of Mexico’s democracy.” Salazar emphasized that the U.S. supports the reform of the judicial system in Mexico, but has concerns that the election of judges via popular vote may lead to increased corruption due to the influence of non-governmental bodies such as powerful gang leaders on the judicial system. Mexico’s Foreign Minister, Alicia Barcena, responded to Salazar’s critique by emphasizing that, “decisions about Mexico are and must be made by Mexicans.” 

The condemnation of the judicial reforms in Mexico on the part of the U.S. and Canada is an attack on Mexico’s sovereignty and the legitimacy of its government. Furthermore, the threat by U.S. Ambassador Salazar that the pause could incite a potential decline in trade, especially given the critical trade relationship between the North American countries only exacerbated the issue. The U.S. and Canada must not intervene in this decision by unnecessarily turning a domestic issue into an international concern. On the part of Mexico, action had to be taken to defend its sovereignty and it required the ability of the president to make choices to bolster Mexican democracy, although the “pause” of the embassies is not a specific enough consequence. It is unclear to all involved parties how far the scope of this pause extends, the implications it will have on trade relations, or if there will be an escalation beyond a pause. President Lopez Obrador must define the scope of the embassy pause and engage leaders within the U.S. and Canada to maintain these critical relationships. 

The relationship between the U.S. and Mexico has a contentious history, rife with conquest and exploitation. Despite this, Mexico and the U.S. are each other’s principal trading partners and rely heavily on the consistency of this trade relationship. The U.S. also relies on cooperation with the Mexican government on collaborative immigration policies as the U.S. seeks to reform its immigration laws especially concerning migrants from Mexico. For these reasons, the Biden Administration has rarely criticized the policies of Lopez Obrador until this proposal of judicial reforms. Canada and Mexico collaborate similarly on many issues including economic policy, trade, and security initiatives. This relationship is put at risk if the Canadian Ambassador to Mexico, Graeme Clark does not amend his condemnations. The North American countries are so interdependent that support is what is needed between the governments, especially concerning domestic issues. As such, the U.S. and Canada must find a way to rectify the repercussions of their comments. 

Mexico, Canada, and the U.S. have critical relationships with one another. The pause on American and Canadian embassies within Mexico threatens to undermine this fact. The ambassadors to Mexico from the U.S. and Canada must make solidarity statements with the Mexican government and its policies as the issue at hand is a domestic reform that is designed to strengthen Mexican democracy, thus should not be a matter of debate or consideration from other states. The ambassadors should further emphasize their acknowledgment and respect for Mexican sovereignty to make amends for the infringement on the legitimacy of Mexican statehood that their comments caused. Domestically, President Lopez Obrador should work with other governmental leaders to ensure that these reforms are carried out democratically and functionally to bolster the legitimacy of the judiciary without undue intervention from outside entities such as gangs. This will not only provide a peaceful resolution between the three countries but also ensure that the judicial reforms are effective.