Washington D.C. – In a bipartisan effort, U.S. Senators Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) have urged Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) to cease his government’s attempts to confiscate land owned and operated by Vulcan Materials Company, an Alabama-based construction aggregates producer.
Last week, the López Obrador administration issued a declaration designating Vulcan’s land and port as a naturally protected area, a move that the senators argue would unjustly strip Vulcan of its property rights and operational capabilities. This declaration is seen as the latest in a series of contentious efforts by the Mexican government to claim 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,” the senators stated. They expressed deep concern over what they view as an illegal attempt by the Mexican government to seize the property, highlighting Vulcan’s compliance with permits and their efforts in environmental conservation. The senators warned that these actions could undermine the bilateral relationship between the U.S. and Mexico and damage international confidence in Mexico’s commitment to the rule of law.
In 2018, Vulcan initiated a NAFTA arbitration against Mexico due to harassment, illegal land-use changes, and the shutdown of operations on part of their property in Quintana Roo. In May 2022, Mexican military forces shut down Vulcan’s operations on AMLO’s orders.
On March 14, 2023, Mexican military and police forces forcibly breached and confiscated Vulcan’s port facility at Punta Venado in Quintana Roo. Senator Britt condemned this act, leading a bipartisan letter to the Mexican Ambassador to the U.S., Esteban Moctezuma, regarding the militarized seizure. Following discussions, Mexican forces withdrew from the property.
Despite the withdrawal, AMLO continued to threaten Vulcan’s operations. In May 2024, Senators Britt, Kaine, Hagerty, and Tuberville wrote to Alicia Bárcena, Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs, urging the Mexican government to reverse their actions against Vulcan and seek a mutually beneficial resolution.
