CAMIMEX Eyes Opportunities in Mexico-US Critical Minerals Plan

The Mexico-US Action Plan on Critical Minerals establishes a framework to integrate Mexican mining into North American supply chains for electromobility and advanced manufacturing. Realizing this strategic alignment under the USMCA requires addressing regulatory permitting backlogs and a decline in exploration through increased legal certainty and mixed-model investment. This policy shift prioritizes regional economic security and positions Mexico as a key supplier for high-tech industrial ecosystems shared with the United States and Canada.

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The Mexico-US Action Plan on Critical Minerals, announced on Feb. 4, 2026, serves as a framework to reposition the Mexican mining sector within the North American industrial landscape. According to CAMIMEX, this initiative provides a pathway to integrate domestic production into regional supply chains essential for electromobility, digitalization, and advanced manufacturing. 

The new cooperation framework between Mexico and the United States repositions mining as a strategic pillar within the USMCA to secure the regional supply of minerals essential for the automotive, steel, and aluminum industries. According to Luis Rosendo Gutiérrez, Mexico’s Deputy Minister for Foreign Trade, the government’s minerals agenda is being integrated directly into the USMCA framework to link resources, such as lithium and silver, to the North American industrial ecosystem. This policy shift is a key component of the preparations for the upcoming treaty review, involving months of technical coordination and high-level dialogue between the administrations of President Claudia Sheinbaum and US President Donald Trump, as reported by MBN.

The agreement focuses on strengthening regional resilience through plans developed by Minister of Economy,  Marcelo Ebrard, and the US Trade Representative’s office. Rather than building an entirely new framework, the strategy leverages Mexico’s existing mining infrastructure to prioritize materials based on regional demand and future investment needs.

US Trade Representative, Jamieson Greer, highlighted that these partnerships are the result of continuous institutional exchanges in Washington aimed at ensuring that the North American supply chain can withstand global market shifts. This collaborative approach is intended to guide future development while maintaining Mexico’s role as a primary contributor to the regional manufacturing and technological landscape.

CAMIMEX Sees Opportunities for North America’s Resilience

CAMIMEX considers Mexico has structural advantages, as it is among the top producers of several minerals, including silver, copper, and gold. The chamber highlights that the country produces several industrial inputs for key sectors in North America, including electromobility, advanced manufacturing, and clean technology, among others.  "This juncture represents a strategic pathway to expand access to minerals currently not produced in Mexico, or yet to be identified within our territory, which remain indispensable to new global value chains,” reads CAMIMEX’s statement.

CAMIMEX considers that achieving a bilateral or multilateral agreement on these topics could allow the country to move towards a long term vision in which the mining sector consolidates its position as a key supplier for 190 industrial sectors.

To achieve this potential, CAMIMEX emphasizes the need for structural conditions that foster investment and institutional certainty. This involves the establishment of clear environmental and operational permitting timelines alongside a modernized legal framework to ensure jurisdictional stability. The chamber also advocates for the implementation of specific mechanisms to address competition from Asian markets and the strengthening of security protocols in remote mining regions. Reactivating exploration is highlighted as a fundamental requirement to sustain long-term productivity and identify new resource deposits within the territory.

The latter point was previously highlighted by Rubén del Pozo, President, Association of Mining Engineers, Metallurgists, and Geologists of Mexico (AIMMGM), during the opening ceremony of the XXXVI International Mining Convention in Acapulco. Del Pozo observed that mining exploration decreased by 11.5% in 2024, warning that without discovery, the industry faces a deficit of future projects. Although he acknowledged that fiscal limitations prevent the service from addressing the full scale of the country’s potential, as per the Ministry of Economy's (SE) directive for the Mexican Geological Service (SGM) to conduct exploration in Sonora, Sinaloa, Durango, and the State of Mexico.

He advocated for a mixed exploration model where the State maintains oversight while private industry and academia contribute resources and technology with transparency. Del Pozo emphasized the current lack of work for geologists will eventually affect miners and metallurgists across the industrial value chain. “We must not forget that mining is a sector of long maturation and high risk. It requires many years and millions of dollars before a project begins production,” del Pozo stressed.

Investment and Regional Potential

The formal mining sector has an investment potential exceeding US$43 billion over the next six years, an amount that would directly support infrastructure and social welfare in more than 690 communities. CAMIMEX reports that these investments impact approximately three million families, driving technological innovation and sustained economic growth. The success of this transition relies on the continued fulfillment of fiscal obligations and transparent production standards, which serve as the pillars for maintaining competitiveness and trust under the USMCA framework.

During the XXXVI International Mining Convention, Pedro Rivero, President, CAMIMEX, emphasized Mexico's position as a relevant producer of 23 minerals, nine of which are considered critical for North America. "Fully recognizing mining within the USMCA as a key sector is not a corporate matter; it is a matter of economic security for the region. Fully integrating mining will strengthen the Made in Mexico project and preserve the pride of being a mining nation with a conscious, innovative industry committed to its environment," Rivero stated.