172. Ambassador Tony Garza on Mexico, Trade, and What San Antonio Gets Right
This week on bigcitysmalltown, Bob Rivard sits down with Ambassador Tony Garza, a Brownsville native who served as U.S. Ambassador to Mexico under President George W. Bush from 2002 to 2009 and now works as counsel and special advisor to the global law firm White & Case in Mexico City, to discuss the state of the U.S.-Mexico relationship at a moment of unusual tension and opportunity.
They discuss:
- Why the transactionalism defining U.S.-Mexico relations today was always present beneath the surface — and what changed when it became explicit
- How President Sheinbaum has managed the relationship with Washington, and why her approach has earned approval on both sides of the border
- The coordinated operation that took down El Mencho, and what it reveals about the level of intelligence-sharing between the two governments
- Why "cartels" is the wrong word for what Mexico is actually dealing with — and why that distinction matters for policy
- Whether the Trump administration would ever order direct military action inside Mexico
- How multinational companies navigate corruption and security risks while continuing to invest heavily in Mexican manufacturing
- Why nearshoring has proceeded more slowly than the headlines suggested — and where the real growth has actually come from
- The missed opportunity for comprehensive immigration reform in 2001, and what a more pragmatic path forward might look like today
- Why San Antonio's DNA — automotive, cyber, aeronautics, and its deep ties to northern Mexico — positions it better than Austin for what's coming next in North America
RECOMMENDED NEXT LISTEN:
▶ 165. How Hill Country Landowners Are Challenging CPS Energy's 370-Mile Transmission Line Plan — Ambassador Garza references water and energy infrastructure as emerging areas for U.S.-Mexico cooperation. This episode examines one of the most consequential energy projects now moving through the Texas Hill Country.
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