Author: MxTrib Staff

President Claudia Sheinbaum used her Monday morning news conference to tell the public to stop watching a major television network. Asked about a group that has been posting banners around Mexico City accusing government officials of ties to drug cartels, Sheinbaum pointed the finger at TV Azteca owner Ricardo Salinas Pliego and offered a blunt recommendation: change the channel.

“Don’t watch TV Azteca,” she said from the podium at the National Palace. “Salinas Pliego is going to be angry and is probably writing a post right now.”

The network fired back within hours.

What Triggered It

The comment came in response to a reporter’s question about a group called Mexicanos al Grito de Paz, a collective that has been plastering banners around Mexico City with images of government officials accused of links to drug trafficking. Sheinbaum said the group was not registered with the Interior Ministry and suggested that accounts tied to Salinas Pliego were behind the campaign, while acknowledging she had no direct proof.

“When they’re already showing these things on television or radio, things that are just three people going and putting up a sign, well, there must be some connection. I can’t confirm it, it’s a hypothesis,” she said.

She also announced plans to create a weekly segment at the mañanera to name and shame what she called the biggest liar of the week. She said she had proposed the idea to her legal adviser, Luisa María Alcalde, and that it would be called “El Mitómano de la Semana,” or “Liar of the Week.”

The Network Responds

TV Azteca issued a formal statement accusing Sheinbaum of carrying out what it called an obvious attempt at censorship and a direct attack on freedom of expression and the press. The network said the call to boycott its programming would be useless, pointing to millions of viewers who follow its news, entertainment, and sports coverage.

The statement accused the government of having high-level ties to organized crime and of protecting what it called corrupt networks connected to the sons of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. The network also said it expected more pressure to come. “We know that more attacks are coming and that this is just the prelude to a stage of censorship and silencing against critical media like us,” it said, according to El Universal.

Grupo Salinas, the parent company, echoed the sentiment on X: “Media outlets don’t exist to obey power. They exist to serve and inform people with the truth.”

A Feud With Deep Roots

The clash has been building for some time. Salinas Pliego’s relationship with the ruling Morena movement soured after the government pursued his companies for years over a massive tax dispute. In January, Grupo Salinas agreed to pay MX$32 billion (about US$1.87 billion) to settle a decade-long case with Mexico’s tax authority. Despite the settlement, the public sparring between the two sides has only intensified.

Salinas Pliego previously filed a complaint with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, alleging political persecution. Sheinbaum has dismissed those claims, saying the tax collection process is a routine legal matter. TV Azteca also faces a multimillion-dollar lawsuit in the United States and has sought debt restructuring in Mexico.

Why It Matters

TV Azteca is not a small operation. It is one of the 2 major networks that dominate Mexican broadcast television, reaching tens of millions of viewers. A sitting president calling on citizens to stop watching it is the kind of statement that draws comparisons to authoritarian pressure tactics, regardless of intent. Press freedom organizations have long cited Mexico as one of the most difficult environments for journalism in the hemisphere, though the dangers they typically document involve violence against local reporters rather than confrontations between the presidency and a media mogul.

Neither side issued further public statements after the initial exchange on Monday.

At a Glance

• President Claudia Sheinbaum called on viewers to stop watching TV Azteca during her May 25 morning press conference
• The remark followed questions about Mexicanos al Grito de Paz, a group posting anti-government banners in Mexico City
• TV Azteca is owned by Ricardo Salinas Pliego through his conglomerate, Grupo Salinas
• The network accused Sheinbaum of censorship and vowed to continue critical coverage
• Grupo Salinas settled a major tax dispute with the Mexican government in January 2026, paying MX$32 billion (about US$1.87 billion)
• Sheinbaum also proposed a new weekly mañanera segment to highlight what she considers disinformation

Source: El Universal, Proceso, Expansión Política

Mexico’s air traffic controllers have filed a formal strike notice against the federal government, citing what they describe as unsustainable working conditions — and the timing could not be more fraught. With the FIFA World Cup opening match set for June 11 in Mexico City, the nation’s airports are about to face the highest passenger volumes in years.

The Sindicato Nacional de Controladores de Tránsito Aéreo, known as Sinacta, announced it will take the matter to the Tribunal Federal de Conciliación y Arbitraje, Mexico’s federal labor arbitration court, to begin the formal strike process. The union says it has run out of patience waiting for a response from two federal ministries: the Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT) and the Finance Ministry (SHCP).

Controllers List 4 Core Grievances

In a statement posted to social media following its 16th National Congress, Sinacta said the decision to pursue a strike was “clear and unanimous” among members, who say they have kept Mexico’s airspace running safely despite mounting problems. The union’s complaints center on four issues:

• More than 19 controllers working without official government appointments
• A cumulative 30% loss in real wages
• Exhausting shift schedules
• Lack of training on new technologies and procedures

“This act is not one we take lightly, but a legal and legitimate resource to demand that the state guarantee us the minimum salary and structural conditions to do our jobs,” the union wrote. “We have exhausted our patience, but not our conviction.”

Controllers are responsible for coordinating safe separation between aircraft and managing takeoffs, landings, and flight routes across Mexican airspace.

Pilots Back the Strike Threat

The Asociación Sindical de Pilotos Aviadores (ASPA) quickly issued a statement of solidarity, saying flight safety is built “not only from the cockpit, but also from every tower and control center in the country.” The pilots’ union backed Sinacta’s demands for dignified working conditions and adequate training, adding weight to what had been a labor dispute largely invisible to the traveling public.

World Cup Pressure Adds Urgency

The strike threat lands at a particularly sensitive moment for Mexican aviation. Airlines have been adding an estimated 727,000 seats on routes to Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey — the country’s three World Cup host cities — for June and July alone. Mexico City’s Benito Juárez International Airport is also in the middle of a US$416-million renovation that has already disrupted normal passenger flow, with the government racing to have key work completed before the tournament begins.

Any work stoppage, or even a slowdown, would ripple across an already stressed system. Controllers manage the flow of every commercial flight in Mexican airspace, meaning a strike could ground or delay hundreds of flights daily at the worst possible time.

For travelers planning to fly through the Peninsula this summer — whether catching a connection to a host city or arriving at Cancún, which faces its own World Cup airspace controls despite hosting no matches — the labor standoff is worth watching closely.

Sinacta said it would continue to update members on the legal process and called for unity within its ranks. “Let us keep our heads high and our unity intact,” the union concluded. “We know the enormous responsibility we carry every time we sit down at the position.”

The government had not publicly responded to the strike notice as of the time of publication.

Source: El Universal

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At a Glance

• Sinacta, Mexico’s air traffic controllers’ union, has filed a formal strike notice with federal labor authorities
• The union cites a 30% cumulative wage loss, grueling shifts, and 19+ controllers without official appointments
• The pilots’ union ASPA has issued a statement of solidarity with the controllers
• Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey host World Cup matches starting June 11
• Airlines are adding roughly 727,000 seats on routes to the three host cities for June–July
• Mérida and Cancún travelers connecting to host cities could be affected by any disruption to Mexican airspace

Reports from travelers and immigration attorneys are raising flags for anyone planning a trip to Mexico: airport officers are increasingly granting tourist permits for far fewer than the standard 180 days, and some say U.S.-Mexico tensions are feeding into that dynamic.

Sonia Diaz, a licensed immigration attorney who practices in San Miguel de Allende, Puerto Vallarta, and Nayarit, recently posted a warning on social media that has been circulating widely among expats and travelers. She described receiving regular messages from visitors who arrive in Mexico only to find their tourist permit stamped with as few as 10 days — a number that cannot be changed once issued.

“Weekly, I receive similar emails,” Diaz wrote.

Officer Discretion Is the Rule, Not the Exception

Under Mexico’s immigration law, specifically Article 43 of the Ley de Migración, the number of days written on a tourist permit — known as the Forma Migratoria Múltiple, or FMM — is entirely at the discretion of the officer on duty. The maximum is 180 days, but there is no floor. Officers may ask about travel plans, return flights, and accommodation, and they factor those answers into the number they stamp.

That process has always existed. What is changing, according to Diaz and travelers reporting similar experiences, is the frequency with which officers are issuing far shorter stays than normal — and the airports where this is happening. This is not limited to any single entry point. Diaz was emphatic: it is happening across all airports, including those with automated passport scanners.

Once the stamp is in your passport, the duration is final. There is no extension process available inside Mexico. If a traveler finds their return flight falls outside the allotted window, they face either paying an overstay fine or leaving Mexico early and re-entering on a new permit — assuming they can get a longer one on the next try.

A Political Climate That Is Reaching Airport Counters

Diaz points to the broader bilateral friction as a contributing factor in how some officers are making decisions. With the Trump administration reviewing all 53 Mexican consulates in the United States for potential closure — a move reported this month by CBS News and the Associated Press — resentment is running in both directions. Mexicans seeking a U.S. tourist visa currently face a roughly two-year wait and a fee of around MX$4,200 (about US$230), with no guarantee of approval.

There is also the question of what happens to travelers who already hold a canje stamp in their passport, indicating they are in the process of obtaining Mexican residency. Diaz noted that some officers are logging those individuals as ordinary tourists rather than recording their correct immigration status — a potentially serious error that could complicate the residency process.

“Immigration staff at airports have a lot of independence,” Diaz wrote. “They also have their personal beliefs and politics.”

What Travelers and Prospective Residents Should Know

For anyone traveling to Mexico as a tourist, immigration attorneys recommend arriving prepared. Have a printed or digital copy of your return ticket, hotel reservation, and a clear explanation of your itinerary ready before you reach the officer’s window. Be direct and polite about how long you intend to stay. Check the number in your passport stamp before leaving the immigration hall — you are entitled to know what was entered, and catching an error while still in the area gives you the best chance of resolving it.

For those in the middle of the residency process — the canje stage, where a consulate-approved visa is being exchanged for a resident card — the stakes are even higher. Diaz and other immigration professionals have repeatedly advised those travelers to make clear at the counter that they are entering under a canje, not as tourists, and to confirm that the officer records their status correctly.

Travelers who find themselves stranded with a very short permit and a return flight weeks away should seek legal counsel immediately. A qualified immigration attorney can sometimes find options depending on the specific circumstances, though there is no guaranteed remedy once the stamp is set.

For a broader look at how Mexico’s residency and permit system works, here are the basics of Mexican residency options for readers considering a longer stay.

More background on the diplomatic frictions between Washington and Mexico City — including the consulate review and drug-trafficking indictments of Mexican officials — is available from the Associated Press.

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FMM Quick Facts

• The FMM (Forma Migratoria Múltiple) is a required entry permit, not a visa, for tourists and business visitors from the U.S., Canada, and other no-visa countries
• Maximum authorized stay: 180 days — but the actual number is set by the officer at the counter
• Once stamped, the number of days cannot be extended from inside Mexico
• The 2026 FMM fee is MX$983 (about US$54), usually included in airfare; free for stays of 7 days or fewer
• Always check your passport stamp before leaving the immigration hall
• Travelers in the canje process must tell the officer they are not entering as tourists and confirm their status is recorded correctly
• Those who overstay their permit face a fine before departure and possible re-entry complications

Source: Mexico’s Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM), Yucatan Magazine