2026年5月14日 / 美国东部时间下午1:42 / 哥伦比亚广播公司新闻
一个由众议院议员组成的两党团体将于周四发起一个新的美墨核心小组，旨在在双边关系日益紧张的当下，加强两国在贸易、安全和文化领域的联系。
来自得克萨斯州的民主党众议员华金·卡斯特罗——众议院外交事务委员会西半球小组委员会 ranking 成员——以及来自印第安纳州的共和党众议员鲁迪·亚基姆将担任该核心小组的联合主席。此次成立活动得到了美国墨西哥裔领导人理事会（AMLC）的支持，该组织也是本周四全新亮相的全国性机构，旨在提升墨西哥裔美国人的领导力并推动美墨合作。
此次核心小组的成立正值双边关系动荡之际。美国国务院上周启动了对美国境内所有53家墨西哥领事馆的审查，此举可能让国务卿马可·卢比奥考虑关闭部分外交机构。此前，两名美国中央情报局特工在墨西哥北部的一次反毒品行动中身亡，导致两国在安全合作和贩毒集团暴力问题上的紧张局势升级。而此次外交紧张距美墨加协定首次联合审查仅数周时间，该审查定于2026年7月1日举行。
“我很高兴宣布美墨核心小组正式成立，以加强美国与墨西哥之间的关系，”卡斯特罗说道。“我们共享的边境、历史和共同利益——尤其是在贸易、移民和安全领域——使得成立这个核心小组比以往任何时候都更具现实意义。”
亚基姆所在的印第安纳州选区高度依赖对墨西哥的贸易，他表示该核心小组将聚焦国内的经济和安全利益。
“印第安纳州的制造商和农场主依赖墨西哥获取原材料和出口产品，而我们的社区则依靠牢固的安全合作关系来遏制芬太尼和其他致命毒品流入街头，”他说。“我期待这个核心小组能够成为深化两国关系的论坛。”
该核心小组将有10名创始成员，两党各占一半，包括加利福尼亚州民主党众议员皮特·阿圭勒、佛罗里达州共和党众议员玛丽亚·萨拉查、纽约州民主党众议员阿德里亚诺·埃斯帕利亚、亚利桑那州共和党众议员胡安·西斯科马尼、亚利桑那州民主党众议员格雷格·斯坦顿、得克萨斯州共和党众议员迈克尔·麦考尔、得克萨斯州民主党众议员维罗妮卡·埃斯科瓦尔、得克萨斯州民主党众议员亨利·奎拉尔以及内布拉斯加州共和党众议员唐·培根。
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“墨西哥和美国不仅通过南部边境相连，也在共同的安全挑战和经济利益上紧密相连，”麦考尔说道，并补充说他“非常自豪能加入这个核心小组”。
“加强从农业、移民到反毒品行动等各个领域的合作，无疑将造福我们两国以及更广泛的地区，”他说。
在国会山之外，新成立的美国墨西哥裔领导人理事会正将自身定位为支持该核心小组工作的领导力组织。该组织由前美国驻克罗地亚大使娜塔莉·雷耶斯联合担任主席，塞尔吉奥·冈萨雷斯担任总裁兼首席执行官，其成员包括两党人士：前美国财政部长罗萨里奥·马林、前交通部长兼能源部长费德里科·佩尼亚，以及前众议院外交事务委员会主席伊莱亚娜·罗斯-莱希滕。
“这关乎为美国各地的社区创造机遇、繁荣和经济安全，”冈萨雷斯说道。“推动我们经济的众多行业，从农业到金融、创新和贸易，都依赖与墨西哥的良好合作关系。美国在全球的实力和竞争力与这一伙伴关系的成功息息相关。”
雷耶斯认为当下应搁置党派政治。
“这个两党核心小组的成立传递了一个强烈信号：美墨关系超越党派政治，”她说。“这关乎维持经济实力、争取共同安全，以及数百万受这一伙伴关系影响的民众的生活。”
墨西哥是在美国拥有最大外交领事网络的国家，其领馆为居住在美国各地的数百万墨西哥公民提供证件办理和法律援助服务。这些领馆大多集中在边境州以及拥有大量墨西哥裔美国人人口的城市，包括加利福尼亚州、得克萨斯州和亚利桑那州。
近年来，美国关闭领事馆通常反映出与敌对国家的紧张关系升级，而非常规的外交变动。2020年，随着美中关系恶化，特朗普政府下令关闭中国驻休斯敦领事馆，理由是担心间谍活动和知识产权盗窃。2017年，美国下令俄罗斯关闭其驻旧金山领事馆以及在华盛顿和纽约的外交设施，以回应莫斯科驱逐美国外交官。
当被问及美国国务院的领事馆审查计划时，墨西哥总统克劳迪娅·希恩鲍姆近日对记者表示：“此举毫无道理，因为这些领事馆非常尊重美国的政治制度。”
奥利维亚·加齐斯为本报道撰稿。
Bipartisan U.S.-Mexico congressional caucus launches amid diplomatic strain
May 14, 2026 / 1:42 PM EDT / CBS News
A bipartisan group of House lawmakers will launch a new U.S.-Mexico caucus on Thursday, aimed at strengthening ties between the two countries on trade, security and culture at a moment of mounting tension in the bilateral relationship.
Rep. Joaquin Castro, Democrat of Texas and ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, and Rep. Rudy Yakym, Republican of Indiana, will serve as co-chairs of the caucus. The launch is being backed by the American Mexican Leadership Council, or AMLC, a new national organization also debuting Thursday to elevate Mexican American leadership and advance U.S.-Mexico collaboration.
The rollout comes at a turbulent moment in the bilateral relationship. The State Department last week initiated a review of all 53 Mexican consulates operating in the U.S., the move could lead Secretary of State Marco Rubio to consider closing some diplomatic offices, amid rising tensions over security cooperation and cartel violence following the deaths of two American CIA officers during a counter-narcotics operation in northern Mexico. The strain comes just weeks ahead of the first joint review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, scheduled for July 1, 2026.
“I am thrilled to announce the official launch of the U.S.-Mexico Caucus to strengthen the relationship between the United States and Mexico,” Castro said. “Our shared border, history and interests — particularly in trade, migration, and security — make the creation of this caucus relevant now more than ever.”
Yakym, whose Indiana district leans heavily on trade with Mexico, described the caucus’s focus on economic and security stakes back home.
“Hoosier manufacturers and farmers rely on Mexico for inputs and exports, while our communities count on a strong security relationship to keep fentanyl and other deadly drugs off the streets,” he said. “I look forward to this caucus serving as a forum to deepen that relationship.”
The caucus will consist of 10 inaugural members evenly split across the aisle, including Reps. Pete Aguilar, Democrat of California, María Salazar, Republican of Florida, Adriano Espaillat, Democrat of New York, and Juan Ciscomani, Republican of Arizona), Greg Stanton, Democrat of Arizona, Michael McCaul Republican of Texas, Veronica Escobar, Democrat of Texas, Rep. Henry Cuellar, Democrat of Texas, and Don Bacon, Republican of Nebraska.
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“Mexico and the United States are connected not only by our southern border, but also by mutual security challenges and shared economic interests,” McCaul said, adding that he is “very proud to join this caucus.”
“Strengthening areas of collaboration — from agriculture to immigration to counter-narcotic efforts — will no doubt benefit both our nations and the broader region,” he said.
Outside the Capitol, the newly formed AMLC is positioning itself as a leadership organization supporting the caucus’s work. The group is co-chaired by former U.S. Ambassador to Croatia Nathalie Rayes and led by president and CEO Sergio Gonzales, with a bipartisan coalition that includes former U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marín, former Transportation and Energy Secretary Federico Peña, and former House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.
“This is about creating opportunity, prosperity and economic security for communities across the United States,” Gonzales said. “So many of the sectors that drive our economy, from agriculture to finance, innovation, and trade depend on a successful relationship with Mexico. America’s strength and competitiveness in the world are deeply connected to the success of this partnership.”
Rayes framed the moment as one that demands politics step aside.
“The launch of this bipartisan caucus sends a strong message: the U.S.-Mexico relationship transcends politics,” she said. “It is about maintaining economic strength, striving towards shared security, and the millions of people whose lives are shaped by this partnership.”
Mexico maintains the largest foreign consular network in the United States, with offices that provide documentation and legal aid to millions of Mexican citizens living across the country. Most are concentrated in border states and cities with large Mexican American populations, including California, Texas and Arizona.
In recent years, U.S. consulate closures have usually reflected rising tensions with rival countries rather than routine diplomatic changes. In 2020, as relations between Washington and Beijing worsened, the Trump administration ordered China’s consulate in Houston to close, citing concerns over espionage and intellectual property theft. In 2017, the U.S. ordered Russia to close its consulate in San Francisco, along with diplomatic facilities in Washington and New York, in response to Moscow expelling American diplomats.
Asked recently about the State Department’s plan to review consulates, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum told reporters said “there would be no reason for it because the consulates are very respectful of U.S. politics.”
Olivia Gazis contributed to this report.
