Get Cross-border Trade Booms Amid Mexicos War

The country has seen an estimated 360,000 homicides since 2006, when the Mexican government declared a war on drugs. As of 2018, drug cartels controlled as much as 20 percent of Mexican territory, ing to a report citing a classified government analysis.

The fighting between rival drug cartels began in earnest after the 1989 arrest of Félix Gallardo, who ran the cocaine business in Mexico. There was a lull in the fighting during the late 1990s but the violence has steadily worsened since 2000.

In 2021, Mexico was the second-largest source of foreign crude oil to the United States as well as the top destination for U.S. petroleum product exports and U.S. natural gas. Other top U.S. exports to Mexico include machinery, electrical machinery, vehicles, mineral fuels, and plastics.

Mexico ranked as the United States' top trading partner for the second consecutive month in January, ing to the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Trade between Mexico and the United States totaled $779.3 billion in 2022, making Mexico the United States' 2nd largest trade partner. Furthermore, in 2022, Mexico was the U.S.' largest provider of goods and the 2nd largest export market.

Trade between Mexico and the United States developed during the rule of President Porfirio Diaz. He had had a long rule as the Mexican President (1876-1911). Diaz opened his country to foreign investment and this led to many American entrepreneurs investing in Mexican agriculture, mines, and ranches.

The long border between the two countries means that peace and security in that region are important to the U.S.'s national security and international trade. The U.S. is Mexico's biggest trading partner and Mexico is the U.S.'s third-largest trading partner.