President Claudia Sheinbaum announced on Monday that her government will file formal complaints with the US Department of Justice and state prosecutors to seek investigations into the deaths of 17 Mexican nationals in detention centres and during Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations.

The move follows the death of Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was shot during an ICE operation in Houston, Texas, on July 7, 2026.

"Today the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will present the complaints before the United States Department of Justice and the state prosecutors' offices in the United States over the death of 17 fellow nationals, among them the latest one who was practically killed," Sheinbaum said during her morning press conference at the National Palace.

She said the government decided to pursue legal action after repeated diplomatic exchanges with US authorities failed to produce results.

"We cannot simply continue with diplomatic letters that have not produced results. That is why we are now calling on the Department of Justice to investigate whoever is responsible," she stressed.

According to Sheinbaum, the complaints seek to establish how the Mexican nationals died while in immigration detention and during ICE operations.

"An investigation that says why Mexicans died in detention centres, what the cause is, and at the same time, three Mexicans who have already died in ICE operations," she said.

The Mexican president insisted the legal action is part of the government's responsibility to protect its citizens abroad and is not intended to damage relations with Washington.

"I believe it is the obligation of any government to establish a defence of its fellow nationals abroad. It does not signal a situation in which we want to affect the relationship between Mexico and the United States," Sheinbaum said.

She added that cooperation with the United States on trade and security would continue, while Mexico would keep demanding investigations whenever it believed the rights of its citizens had been violated. She also called for national unity in defending Mexicans living both at home and abroad.

Uruguay has the highest share of urban residents in Latin America, with 95.9% of its population living in urban areas in 2024, according to the United Nations Population Division's World Urbanisation Prospects .

The UN estimates that nearly all Uruguayans now live in cities and towns, reflecting one of the world's most urbanised societies. The country's population is heavily concentrated around Montevideo, which, together with its surrounding metropolitan area, accounts for more than half of the national population.

Puerto Rico ranks second with 93.7%, followed by Argentina at 92.6%. Venezuela places fourth with 88.5%, narrowly ahead of Chile at 88.1% and Brazil at 88.0%.

Among Latin America's largest economies, urban populations now dominate national demographics.

Brazil, the region's most populous country, has almost nine in ten people living in urban areas. São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Belo Horizonte and Salvador remain among the country's largest metropolitan centres.

Mexico ranks tenth with 81.9%, driven by continued growth around Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey. Colombia follows closely with 82.7%, where Bogotá, Medellín, Cali and Barranquilla account for a significant share of the country's population.

The Dominican Republic records 85.0%, while Costa Rica reaches 83.2%, with urban growth concentrated around Santo Domingo and the Greater Metropolitan Area of San José, respectively.

According to the United Nations, Latin America and the Caribbean is one of the world's most urbanised regions, with urbanisation accelerating rapidly throughout the second half of the 20th century as millions of people moved from rural areas to cities in search of employment, education and healthcare.

The UN projects that urbanisation will continue increasing across much of the region over the coming decades, although growth is expected to slow as many countries approach saturation levels where the overwhelming majority of their populations already live in urban areas.

The index, published by the Global Tax Expenditures Lab (GTEL), evaluates how governments disclose tax expenditures, including tax exemptions, deductions, credits and reduced tax rates. These measures represent government revenue forgone through the tax system and are widely used to support economic sectors, investment and social policy .

Indonesia climbed one place from the previous edition to lead the global rankings with 79.9 points, narrowly ahead of the Republic of Korea, which scored 78.3 after slipping from first place.

Australia recorded one of the greatest improvements, rising eight places to third with 76.3, while the Netherlands also climbed eight positions to fourth on 75.5. Canada completed the top five with 72.9, despite dropping two places.

Germany ranked sixth with 72.2, followed by the Russian Federation on 71.3. Benin emerged as Africa's highest-ranked country, placing eighth globally with 71.0, while France and Brazil rounded out the top ten with 68.9 and 68.8, respectively.

Unlike broader tax competitiveness rankings, the GTETI focuses exclusively on transparency. It assesses whether governments publish comprehensive information about tax expenditures, including their legal basis, estimated fiscal cost, policy objectives, beneficiaries and regular evaluations.

The index examines five key dimensions: institutional frameworks, the quality and scope of reporting, accessibility of information, oversight and accountability, and the use of evaluations to determine whether tax incentives achieve their intended goals.

According to the Global Tax Expenditures Lab, transparent reporting allows governments, legislators and the public to better understand the true cost of tax incentives and whether they deliver value for money.

Tax expenditures can amount to several percentage points of a country's gross domestic product and often rival direct government spending in size. Yet many governments still provide limited public information on these measures.

The GTETI argues that stronger reporting improves fiscal accountability, supports evidence-based policymaking and helps governments assess whether tax incentives remain justified over time.

The European Union has introduced sweeping changes to the way low-value imports are handled, ending a long-standing system that allowed millions of inexpensive parcels to enter the bloc with minimal customs scrutiny.

Since 1 July 2026, new customs rules have been designed to tighten oversight of cross-border e-commerce, improve product safety and create fairer competition for European retailers.

The reform, proposed by the European Commission as part of its Customs Union overhaul, comes after a surge in small parcels shipped directly to EU consumers. According to the Commission, around 5.8 billion low-value consignments entered the EU in 2025, equivalent to roughly 12 million parcels every day. Approximately 90% of those shipments originated from China , with platforms such as Shein, Temu and AliExpress accounting for a significant share of the volume.

Under the new framework, every imported parcel will require a customs declaration, including consignments valued below €150, which previously benefited from simplified procedures.

Online marketplaces also face a handling fee on direct-to-consumer shipments. The European Commission has proposed a €2 fee for parcels handled through the Import One Stop Shop (IOSS) system and €3 for consignments processed outside that scheme.

The measure still requires approval by EU member states and the European Parliament, but customs reforms introducing stricter controls have begun taking effect from July. Reuters has reported that the proposed fee is intended to help national customs authorities manage the rapidly growing volume of imports.

Consumers may therefore face higher final prices as retailers pass on some of the additional administrative and customs costs.

EU officials argue that the existing system has struggled to cope with the explosive growth of ultra-low-cost online shopping.

The Council of the European Union and the European Commission say the reforms aim to reduce unfair competition for European businesses, strengthen customs enforcement and improve checks on products entering the single market. Authorities have repeatedly raised concerns about unsafe products, undervalued shipments and counterfeit goods entering through high-volume e-commerce channels.

The Commission estimates that the previous customs framework was designed for a far smaller volume of imports and no longer reflects today's digital retail market.

Speaking during her morning press conference in Mexico City on Wednesday, Sheinbaum said Mexico would wait before taking any steps to restore ties, insisting Peru was responsible for severing relations.

"I have not had any communication [with Keiko Fujimori]. Well, we are going to wait. Remember that they broke relations with us. Unlike the case of Ecuador, [where] we broke relations because they invaded our embassy," she said.

Her remarks came after Fujimori, who was declared president-elect on Friday, said last month that she wanted to rebuild relations with Mexico, arguing that the two countries shared longstanding ties that should outweigh political differences.

Sheinbaum said Peru's decision followed Mexico's position on former Peruvian president Pedro Castillo, who was removed from office and detained after attempting to dissolve Congress in December 2022.

The Mexican president defended her government's stance, maintaining that Castillo remains "illegally imprisoned."

"It is not that there was a political affinity. No. [Our position] has evidence. The number of votes needed for that was not reached in Peru's Congress. It is as simple as that. That is our position. But because of that position we took, which is also declarative and at no time represented anything more, they decided to break relations with us," she asserted.

Sheinbaum also confirmed that one person remains at Mexico's embassy in Lima under Brazil 's protection after Brazil assumed responsibility for Mexico's diplomatic representation following the breakdown in relations.

Peru cut diplomatic ties with Mexico in November 2025 after the Mexican government granted political asylum to former Peruvian Prime Minister Betssy Chávez, who is facing prosecution over her alleged role in the attempted coup attributed to Castillo.

Speaking publicly, Sheinbaum referred to new reports linking the aircraft used in the operation to an FBI exhibit, saying they raised fresh questions about the role of US authorities.

"The response from Ambassador Ken Salazar, publicly and directly, was that there had been no participation by any agency of the United States . However, in recent days (...) we learned (...) that the plane in which these two members of organised crime arrived is on display at a fair where the FBI claims responsibility for this operation," she said.

She then questioned the accuracy of Salazar's previous statements.

"So, from that point, the first question is: Who is lying? Who lied? Did Ambassador Ken Salazar lie?" she added.

According to Sheinbaum, any involvement by a US agency in the operation would raise concerns under Mexico's constitution and international agreements.

The president also questioned the reception given in the United States to relatives of Ovidio Guzman, another son of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, in connection with the Zambada case.

"Who makes agreements with organised crime ? Because we do not," she said.

She added that diplomatic immunity would not prevent Mexico from defending its sovereignty.

"We cannot be lied to," she stressed.

Zambada was taken into custody on July 25, 2024, after arriving at an airport near El Paso, Texas , with Joaquin Guzman Lopez.

According to Zambada's legal team, and an account previously acknowledged by Guzman Lopez before US authorities, Guzman Lopez forced him onto the flight before both men were detained after landing in the United States.