Ninth Annual US-Mexico Security Conference: Part 1

The Wilson Center's Mexico Institute was pleased to host the Ninth Annual US-Mexico Security Forum, on Tuesday, January 26, and Tuesday, February 2, 2021. The conference featured leading policy analysts from Mexico and the United States discussing the most pressing security issues.

2021 promises to be another deadly year for Mexico. In 2019, Mexico set a record high in homicides with more than 35,000 homicides reported. Despite reaching a new record for homicides during the first half of 2020, the remaining months eased slightly, ending 2020 with a total of 34,600 homicides reported. In 2020, Mexico was also rated the deadliest country for journalists in the Western Hemisphere. Criminal organizations continue to conduct illicit activities and undermining the rule of law, posing a critical threat to the daily lives of Mexicans. The first day of the conference featured panels with academic experts and journalists evaluating AMLO's public security record as well as the security situation on the ground. 

10:00am | Violence and organized crime in Mexico halfway through the AMLO Administration

Speakers

• Edna Jaime | Global Fellow, Mexico Institute; General Director and Founder, México Evalúa
• David Shirk | Global Fellow, Mexico Institute; Director, Justice in Mexico; Associate Professor and Director, University of San Diego
• Ricardo Márquez Blas | Independent Consultant in Security, Crime Prevention and Information Systems
• Gema Santamaria | Assistant Professor of Latin American history, Loyola University
• Moderator: Eric Olson | Global Fellow, Mexico Institute; Director of Policy and Strategic Initiatives, Seattle International Foundation

11:00am | On the ground: Mexico's security landscape

Speakers

• Deborah Bonello | Senior Editor, Latin America, VICE
• Ioan Grillo | Journalist; Author of Gangster Warlords: Drug Dollars, Killing Fields, and the New Politics of Latin America (2016)
• Angela Kocherga | News Director, KTEP and Borderzine; Multimedia Editor, ElPasoMatters.org
• Moderator: Steven Dudley | Co-Founder and Co-Director, Insight Crime

Be sure to join us for Part 2 of our Security Conference, on Tuesday, February 2, 2021.