Lula da Silva/ Minimum Wage Increase

“Chocolate” Cars. Minister of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) Rosa Icela Rodriguez announced that the regularization program for “chocolate cars” (old vehicles that cross without permission, mainly from the US) will be extended for three more months in 2023. Since the program started, more than 1.47 million vehicles have been regularized in Mexico. Although initially, the initiative was only valid for one year and was to expire on Dec. 31, the president has decided to extend the life of the strategy for three more months. 

“The legitimate use of these vehicles leads to greater security as these vehicles cannot slip under the radar for criminal activity anymore. The extension for 2023 will continue in the 14 states where these types of units transit the most, mainly in the northern border: Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, Baja California Sur, Sinaloa, Zacatecas, among others,” stated Rodríguez. 

Seismic System. National Coordinator of Civil Protection Laura Velázquez announced that the seismic warning system would grow throughout Mexico. “We are working to share the alert through mobile phones. The Mexican government has already implemented an integral system of massive message sending that has been working since 2019 and it will be a crucial element for next year’s plans,” commented Velázquez. She pointed out that Baja California and Chiapas are the pending entities to cover the Mexican Republic with the seismic alert system next year.

Lula da Silva’s Inauguration. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador sent greetings to Latin American countries for the New Year’s holidays. López Obrador also announced that his wife, Beatríz Gutiérrez Müller, will travel to Brazil to represent him at the inauguration of Lula da Silva. The president said that da Silva “is a blessing for the people of Brazil,” thus welcoming his election.

Joe Biden. López Obrador said that before meeting with US President Joe Biden, he will send him a letter to raise the issues to be discussed during the Northern Leaders Summit. “I want to send him a letter before the bilateral meeting so we can discuss relevant matters beforehand and so President Biden can also prepare his agenda for what he wants to raise.” The president also asked Biden, once more, to land at the Felipe Angeles International Airport (AIFA) for his participation in the X North American Leaders Summit and clarified that his landing at the Santa Lucia air terminal is not a matter of logistics, but of politics.

Minimum Wage Increase. The president highlighted that the minimum wage will increase by 90 percent as of Jan. 1, 2023, equivalent to MX$207 (US$10.72). “We promised that it would increase and it has been achieved; we have increased the salary in real terms.” 

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Click HERE for full transcript in Spanish