Congresswoman Discussed Immigration, Trade, Gun Violence, Workers’ Rights, and Met with Families Harmed by Trump’s Anti-Immigrant Agenda

Delegation also Covered the Innovative Work Done in the Region on Climate, Women’s Rights, Public Transit, and More

MEXICO CITY – Last week, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) traveled to Mexico City to meet with cabinet officials from President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo’s Administration, labor groups, and leading civil society organizations to discuss immigration, trade, arms trafficking prevention, worker’s rights, and other critical issues, including climate justice, women’s rights, and public transit. During her visit, which was aimed at strengthening Congressional relationships and bilateral communication between leaders abroad, Congresswoman Pressley also met with families directly impacted by Donald Trump’s attacks on immigrants who have been separated from their families and deported to Mexico, and families who have endured persecution, extortion and harrowing journeys only to see their CBP One appointments abruptly cancelled. 

“Our destinies are tied,” said Congresswoman Pressley in a statement following the delegation. “I am grateful for the opportunity to travel to Mexico to meet with members of the Sheinbaum Pardo Administration, civil society leaders, and advocates committed to building a more just world. Migration, gun violence, workers’ rights, and more are layered and interconnected bilateral issues, and our policy response must be as well. Families in the Massachusetts 7th are feeling the impacts daily—from erratic U.S. trade policy to communities navigating a broken and increasingly weaponized immigration system in the U.S. to families grappling with the trauma of gun violence.

“I am so grateful for the hospitality of the Mexican government officials as well as the families and labor leaders we connected with. This delegation was deeply insightful, and it was powerful to learn about the innovative work happening in the region led by dedicated advocates and elected officials in the arenas of migration, trade, and gun violence, as well as climate justice, women’s rights, public transit and more.

“In the absence of U.S. leadership under the Trump Administration and Republican Congress, I’ll keep working to confront these realities head-on.”

The purpose of the visit was to build closer ties of friendship and communication with the United States’ closest Latin American neighbor and important trading partner, and to deepen the lawmakers’ understanding of key areas of interest to both countries. Highlights from the Congresswoman’s visit include:

• Meeting with Mexican Government Officials. The delegates discussed policy issues of shared interest and import and learned about the issues of migration, trade, environmental justice, and arms trafficking.
• Briefing with Casa Tochan on Migration. The Congresswoman met with migrants staying at Casa Tochan, a shelter providing life-saving support and resources for people in migration, and heard from the director and staff. This meeting provided the delegates with firsthand information about the reasons Mexicans and Central Americans are migrating, the effects of US foreign policies on outward migration, and Mexican-led initiatives to support migrants facing persecution, extortion and violence in their home country.
• Civil Society Briefing on Arms Trafficking. The Congresswoman heard from organizations working to address gun violence in Mexico and discussed strategies to prevent arms trafficking from the U.S. to Mexico. The delegates also heard powerful firsthand testimony from parents and siblings whose loved ones have been disappeared and killed. The briefing was led by members of the Desarmando el Miedo Coalition.
• Meeting with Pocha House. The Congresswoman heard about the mission and work of Pocha House, a community center and nonprofit committed to supporting young people deported from the United States, known as “Lxs Otrxs Dreamers.” The delegation met with young people deported from the United States and heard from the director and staff about their ongoing work and their personal experiences.
• Meeting with Maizajo Workers. The Congresswoman met with Maizajo workers about their work to preserve traditional farming and cooking practices and learned more about the food justice movement in Mexico.
• Civil Society Briefing on Labor and Trade. The Congresswoman heard from leading unions and labor advocates about recent efforts to unionize workers in Mexico and to discuss their perspectives on labor rights and enforcement under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The delegation heard about recent reforms in Mexico’s labor system, their implementation, and about opportunities for cooperation on labor justice and fair working conditions. The briefing was led by representatives from Casa Obrera, SINTTIA, and ITF-Mexico.

Congresswoman Pressley was joined on the visit by her Chief of Staff Sarah Groh, Representatives Jesús “Chuy” García, Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Maxwell Alejandro Frost (FL-12), Summer Lee (PA-12), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), and Delia C. Ramírez (IL-03) and Congressional Senior Staff. The delegation visit was sponsored by the Partnership for Participatory International Policy (P-PIP) and the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR).

Rep. Pressley has been a vocal advocate for our immigrant neighbors and everyone harmed by Donald Trump’s unlawful, anti-immigrant, and anti-free speech agenda. Congresswoman Pressley, who serves as Co-Chair for the House Haiti Caucus and represents one of the largest Haitian diaspora communities in the country, has also been an outspoken critic of the Trump Administration’s ending of Temporary Protected Status for Haiti, Venezuela, El Salvador, and other countries grappling with humanitarian crises. Rep. Pressley has also been an outspoken critic against the unlawful detention of Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts PhD student, Somerville resident, and constituent of the Congresswoman’s who was unlawfully detained for weeks in retaliation for her protected speech. 

Congresswoman Pressley is a long-time champion for gun violence prevention and supporting those experiencing trauma. She currently serves as a member of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and she helped pass  H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, and H.R. 1112, the Enhanced Background Checks Act – two long-overdue, bipartisan gun violence prevention bills.

As Co-Chair of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus, Rep. Pressley has fought persistently to protect fundamental reproductive and sexual healthcare rights and is the lead author of the Abortion Justice Act, Women’s Health Protection Act, and EACH Act.

Congresswoman Pressley also serves as Co-Chair of the Future of Transportation Caucus and has championed policies like the Freedom to Move Act, legislation to support state and local efforts to establish public transportation as a public good through fare-free services.

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