U.S. Senators Britt, Kaine, Hagerty, Tuberville Call Out Mexican President Obrador’s Continued Campaign Against Alabama’s Vulcan Materials Company

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 25, 2024 – U.S. Senators Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) called on Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) to end his government’s continued campaign to wrongfully seize land owned and operated by Vulcan Materials Company, an Alabama-based construction aggregates producer.

AMLO’s administration last week issued a declaration that would designate Vulcan’s land and port as a naturally protected area, which would rob Vulcan of their rights to the land and ability to operate the port. This is the latest in a long line of unlawful attempts by the Mexican Government to take over the property.

“Make no mistake, President López Obrador’s recent effort to label Vulcan Materials Company’s land and port in Quintana Roo, Mexico, as a ‘naturally protected area’ is an expropriation of a lawfully permitted, U.S.-owned operation.  We are deeply concerned by the Government of Mexico’s latest effort to illegally acquire the property that Vulcan operates. This American company has a proven track record of going above and beyond required permits that were routinely renewed by all levels of government to protect sensitive areas, reforest native jungle, preserve archaeological sites, and establish protected wildlife habitats. The López Obrador administration is continuing to set a dangerous precedent with these actions, undermining the long-standing bilateral relationship between our two countries and eroding international confidence in Mexico’s adherence to the rule of law. We remain committed to using all appropriate tools at our disposal to deter the Government of Mexico from seizing Vulcan’s lawfully owned and operated property and ensure no entity or individual benefits from its theft,” said Senators Britt, Kaine, Hagerty, and Tuberville.

BACKGROUND:

In 2018, Vulcan initiated a NAFTA arbitration against Mexico in response to harassment, illegal land-use changes, and the unlawful shutdown of operations on a portion of the property in Quintana Roo. In May 2022, Vulcan’s production and port operations at the property were fully shut down using Mexican military force on AMLO’s orders.

On March 14, 2023, Vulcan Materials Company’s port facility at Punta Venado in Quintana Roo, Mexico, was breached and confiscated at gunpoint by Mexican military and police forces. Senator Britt called out the unlawful, unacceptable seizure at the time. She then helped lead a bipartisan letter to the Ambassador of Mexico to the United States, Esteban Moctezuma, regarding the militarized seizure of the property. Following a meeting between Alabama’s congressional delegation and Ambassador Moctezuma, it was announced that Mexican forces withdrew from the property.

Following that invasion, AMLO continued to threaten to forcibly take over Vulcan’s port and limestone quarry, forcing their operations out of Mexico, despite the company’s consistent presence in Mexico for more than 35 years.

In May 2024, Senators Britt, Kaine, Hagerty, and Tuberville wrote Alicia Bárcena, Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, marking the two-year anniversary of the initial militarized shutdown of the property and urging the Government of Mexico “to reverse the actions taken against Vulcan and work towards a beneficial solution for all parties involved.”

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