New Mexican American caucus and advocacy group launch in Congress

A new Mexican American caucus and the American Mexican Leadership Council launched in Congress on Thursday with a message aimed at practical influence, not symbolism. The group is pitching itself as a test of whether long-standing institutional ties can outlast the volatile politics now shaping Washington and Mexico City.

The American Mexican Leadership Council describes itself as a national initiative focused on elevating Mexican American leadership and strengthening the U.S.-Mexico partnership. It says nearly 40 million people of Mexican heritage live in the United States and that Mexican Americans contribute nearly $2 trillion a year to the U.S. economy. The organization also says U.S.-Mexico trade totaled more than $935 billion in 2024 and supports five million American jobs.

Those numbers explain the appeal in Congress, where the relationship still cuts across trade, migration, security and border policy. The State Department said in September 2025 that the two governments had created a high-level implementation group to meet regularly on cartel disruption, border security, illicit financial flows, fuel theft and trafficking of drugs and arms. Congressional researchers have also said Mexico is a top U.S. partner in trade, security and migration matters.

The new effort arrives as bilateral tensions remain sharp. Congressional Research Service said Claudia Sheinbaum took office as Mexico’s president on October 1, 2024, after winning 59 percent of the vote in June 2024. It also said President Donald Trump’s executive orders of January 20, 2025, on security, immigration and trade could strain relations. Recent April 2026 reporting described Mexican protests over the deaths of its citizens in U.S. custody and a diplomatic note warning against unauthorized U.S. involvement in an anti-drug operation in Chihuahua.

The launch also reflected the scale of the constituency behind it. Migration Policy Institute said 10.9 million U.S. residents were born in Mexico in 2023, while Pew Research Center estimated 37.2 million Hispanics of Mexican origin lived in the United States in 2021. AMLC founder Sergio Gonzales said the organization was the first of its kind and intended to connect leaders across a community of 40 million people.

The council’s board brings together figures with long records in federal and state politics, including former Transportation Secretary Federico Peña, former House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and former California Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez. Nathalie Rayes, a former ambassador to Croatia, is co-chair of the board.

Congress already has a template for this kind of engagement. Rep. Michael McCaul led a bipartisan delegation to Mexico beginning February 5, 2026, joined by Henry Cuellar, Salud Carbajal, Lou Correa, Carlos Gimenez, Vicente Gonzalez, Dan Newhouse, Michael Cloud, Dan Meuser and Beth Van Duyne. That delegation said it would address counter-narcotic efforts, immigration challenges, Texas water resources and security for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The question now is whether the new caucus and advocacy arm can move beyond launch rhetoric and shape the next year’s agenda on trade, migration, border infrastructure and security cooperation.