Overview

• Mexico’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the Wednesday meeting at the U.S. State Department as a formal follow-up to Marco Rubio’s September visit.
• Officials will review the high-level implementation group and the new border security and law-enforcement program announced in September, which also references Operation Cortafuegos to curb illicit U.S.-to-Mexico gun flows.
• The agenda targets transnational organized crime, including fentanyl trafficking, illicit arms, human smuggling, clandestine border tunnels, fuel theft, and measures to manage irregular migration under the broader T-MEC framework.
• Subsecretary for North America Roberto Velasco accompanies the delegation after his Senate ratification on October 14.
• A joint statement or press briefing is anticipated after the talks, as governments cite official figures on steep drops in illegal crossings and fentanyl seizures this year that have not been independently verified, with judicial cooperation also in view after Mexico’s Ayotzinapa-related extradition request.