Weekly Briefing - Mexico's Moment

February 22, 2026 | Read: v34i03 | Subscribe

This issue of the Global Atlanta Weekly Briefing is sponsored by Kennesaw State University Global Education.

Mexico’s Moment: A Flight to Familiarity?

It’s a big week for trade nerds (and anyone trying to wrangle a supply chain): In a long-awaited decision, the Supreme Court has struck down most of the Trump tariffs, at least those imposed on the basis of supposed economic emergency.

We’ve written in this newsletter about how imports, while often blamed for undercutting U.S. jobs and displacing American workers, often also fuel the very “re-shoring” initiatives prized by the president.

While the decision makes one piece of the ever-evolving trade puzzle clear, it muddies even more. One big issue the court didn’t address is whether importers are entitled to refunds on the $170 billion in tariffs the justices now say were unlawfully collected by the U.S. under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The clamor of claims had already been building.

Another question: How this will affect trade deals Mr. Trump has already struck with various partners, from the United Kingdom to South Korea and Japan — many of them with implications for planned investment projects in Georgia.

While unilaterally jacking up tariffs, a la “Liberation Day,” should become harder, Mr. Trump has already moved under a separate authority to impose global tariffs of 15 percent for 150 days while weighing other options to prosecute his all-front trade war. Capitulation doesn’t seem to be in his vocabulary, so importers may be poised for an even wilder ride over the coming year.

Mexico’s Trade Trifecta in Georgia

White-knuckling it on this rollercoaster, it’s easy to miss the steady thru-lines obvious in the data: the U.S. (goods) trade deficit reached a record high, but exposure to China is down, and other countries are picking up the slack, from new destinations like Vietnam and India to stalwarts like Mexico.

Mexico has long hovered at the top of Georgia’s trade list. But in 2023, it became the state’s top overall partner as imports climbed enough to eclipse China. Last year, bilateral trade jumped a whopping 39 percent to $25 billion, giving Mexico a trade trifecta here: It’s No. 1 for imports, exports, and overall dollar value.

Now, after years of neglect, Mexico is having something of a moment. When I interviewed the outgoing consul general last year, he couldn’t recall a single state-sanctioned trade delegation to his country in a nine-year tenure. (As far as we can tell from our 35-year archive, no governor has visited Mexico on official business since then-Gov. Perdue met with former President Vicente Fox in 2004. That followed a visit by Mr. Perdue’s Democratic predecessor Roy Barnes, who went in 2001.)

This summer, at least three groups, including one from the Georgia Department of Economic Development, are poised to touch down in Mexico City, fanning out to Monterrey and beyond.

A Timeline of Opportunities

All three trips are listed below, where we’ve put together of commercial, diplomatic and cultural engagements that could reinvigorate a relationship that often enjoys less attention than its value might warrant:

FEBRUARY

6 — GHCC hosted an info session on their May trip — Read our report: Doing Business in Mexico City: Bring Your Vibes, Not Your Power Point

17 — Consul General Rafael Laveaga spoke on global economic trends at the GHCC legislative breakfast

MARCH

4 — Georgia Tech brings together high-level experts on ‘The Future of North American Trade Relations’ with comments from Antonio Ortiz-Mena, chair of the USMCA Committee for Mexico’s Foreign Trade Council, and opening remark from Sonny Perdue, the University System of Georgia Chancellor credited with helping save NAFTA as agriculture secretary under Trump 1.0. Some background: Sonny Perdue in Mexico: Agriculture, Manufacturing Shouldn’t Be at Odds in NAFTA Talks

10 — Mexican Ambassador Set to Headline Atlanta Business Breakfast

MAY

3-7 — Georgia Hispanic Chamber Economic Mission to Mexico City. Read more | Sign Up

10 — Atlanta Ballet’s ‘Frida’ celebrates the famed Mexican painter. Buy tickets here | Watch Gennadi Nedvigin talk about how celebrating Frida Kahlo will land with Atlanta’s diverse audiences

11-15 — GDEcD launches ‘Gateway to Exports’ trade mission to Mexico. Read more | Sign up

JUNE

? — Global Atlanta Consular Conversation (tentative) with CG Laveaga

11 — 2026 FIFA World Cup opens in Mexico City with the host team facing South Africa, just before the latter comes to Atlanta for one of eight matches

JULY

1 — USMCA review begins. Our roundup from a 2025 panel of Georgia companies operating in Mexico: How Mexico Tariff Uncertainty Is Stalling North American Investment

? — Atlanta Regional Commission takes 100+ metro Atlanta leaders on LINK trip to learn about Mexican best practices in infrastructure investment, urban planning, civic engagement and World Cup preparation.

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All this brings back fond memories of my last reporting trip to Mexico, just before Mr. Trump’s election 10 years back, when I drove by automotive plants in Guanajuato and visited a zipper factory, technical schools and an aeronautical university in Queretaro to learn more about simultaneous cooperation and competition that shape Georgia-Mexico trade in key industries.

Hopefully all of the above chances for engagement will help cure other Americans of the ignorance I felt when encountering, for the first time on its own terms, a country I knew only in caricature and not for its cultural depth and economic vitality.