Sheinbaum Demands Release of Gaza Activists / Amparo Law

New Regulation on Hazardous Transportation. Following the recent gas tanker explosion in Iztapalapa, Minister of Energy Luz Elena announced that two new emergency norms will be sent to the Official Federal Gazette (DOF) on Oct. 2, 2025, to strengthen the regulation of LP Gas transport and distribution. The new regulations, NOM-EM-006-ASEA-2025 and NOM-EM-007-ASEA-2025, will complement existing rules and establish that driving conditions and vehicle maintenance are matters of industrial and operational safety.

The new norms will make several safety measures mandatory and periodic, rather than voluntary. All transport vehicles will now be required to have speed limiters and GPS installed. They must also undergo safety evaluations, including hydrostatic pressure and hermeticity tests, to guarantee their integrity. Furthermore, all drivers will be required to be certified in industrial safety and proper vehicle handling. Companies will be given four months to comply with these new requirements.

Enforcement will be increased through joint inspections at distribution plants by the Ministry of Infrastructure (SICT), the National Energy Commission (CNE), and the Agency for Safety, Energy, and Environment (ASEA) to review the physical condition of units, safety elements, permits, and overall compliance. Additionally, CNE will issue QR code decals for each compliant vehicle. Companies will have 20 days to affix these codes, and failure to do so could result in fines or criminal charges.

Gas Tanker Operator Faces Charges. President Claudia Sheinbaum reported that there are currently 32 administrative files open against Grupo Tomza, the operator of the tanker truck that exploded on the Puente de la Concordia in Iztapalapa. She stated that the company has accumulated fines totaling MX$160 million (US$8.6 million).

Sheinbaum noted that these files have now been turned over to the Federal Judiciary for resolution. She added that the government is still awaiting the final technical report on the cause of the explosion from the Mexico City Attorney General's Office.

Mexicans Detained by Israel During Gaza Aid Mission. President Sheinbaum demanded the immediate release and repatriation of six Mexicans detained by Israel. She stated that the individuals, who were part of the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, committed no crime and must be returned to Mexico. Sheinbaum confirmed that the six Mexicans are being held uncommunicatively at the port of Ashdod and are expected to be transferred to a detention center. She reported that consular assistance has not yet been permitted.

The Mexican government has sent four diplomatic notes to Israel regarding the situation. These notes have demanded respect for the detainees' physical safety, an explanation for their interception, and their immediate repatriation.

President Sheinbaum reiterated that humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach Gaza and recalled that Mexico was one of the first countries to file a complaint at The Hague for the recognition of Palestine as a state.

Amparo Law Reform. President Sheinbaum stated that the Senate did not need to include a transitory article concerning retroactivity in the reform to the Amparo Law. She emphasized that her original initiative did not contain this addition and that the Constitution clearly establishes that laws should not be applied retroactively.

Sheinbaum called for a review of the Senate's reasoning for adding the article and its specific wording. She clarified that the reform is intended to apply to new amparo cases, not retroactively, and urged everyone to await the outcome of the discussion in Congress.

According to Sheinbaum, the Amparo Law reform’s objectives include reducing judicial timelines, preventing the suspension of accounts involved in money laundering cases, and stopping immediate suspensions during the application of Supreme Court resolutions.