Representative Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) urged the Trump Administration to toughen its stance ahead of negotiating with Mexico for the United States-Canada-Mexico Agreement (USMCA) summit.
The USMCA, which President Donald Trump created during his first term to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), is up for review next year, and preliminary hearings in the United States, Canada, and Mexico have begun.
But Rep. Gimenez's calls for a harder line stem from Mexico's oil exports to Cuba, which totaled approximately $3 billion between May and August of this year alone.
"Not only do these shipments undermine U.S. policy, but are most likely illegal as well," Rep. Gimenez said in his letter, adding, "At a time when Pemex is struggling financially, [Mexican] President [Claudia] Sheinbaum is sending concerning quantities of oil to a dangerous dictatorship with deep operational ties to Venezuela's Cartel de los Soles, a designated foreign terrorist organization."
Moreover, the Florida Congressman accused the Mexican government of actively working with the cartels to "weaponize migration," which has killed thousands of Americans through violence or drugs sold by the cartels.
As a result, Gimenez urged the Trump Administration to demand that Mexico stop exporting oil to Cuba, ramp up its efforts to destroy the cartels, and cease its participation in the Cuban doctors program, which the United States has criticized as a human trafficking scheme.
"Incorporating these provisions will strengthen the integrity of the USMCA and advance America's national security interests," the Congressman concluded. "I stand ready to continue work with you on these critical issues."
Near the end of August, Gimenez had strong words to say against Cuba, calling the island dictatorship "a cancer in our hemisphere" and highlighting its cooperation with the Maduro regime of Venezuela and Ortega regime in Nicaragua.
"Venezuela's involved in this, and so is Nicaragua. And some other countries have been making great strides in the Western Hemisphere. This is just an example of it," Gimenez added.
