Mexican authorities are increasing law enforcement presence in the popular tourist destination of Tulum, adding 30 members of the Mexican Navy to bring the total to over 250 personnel. This move comes in response to a surge in crime, including incidents such as a tourist being shot and killed during a robbery. The U.S. State Department has issued a travel alert for beach resorts in the area, warning travelers to exercise caution, especially after dark, due to drug gang violence.
The Mexican military and local state police have seized an American company's quarry facility in Mexico, sparking outrage among former and current government officials. Vulcan Materials, the largest producer of construction aggregates in the US, accused the Mexican navy and police of forcing the company to allow CEMEX, a Mexican-owned materials company, to unload a shipment of cement from a ship in the port. Vulcan has been in tension with Mexico for months after Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador forced a shutdown of the quarry's operations in May 2022. The seizure could have significant geopolitical and economic implications for the US.
