Mexico competes against arms manufacturers in front of the US Supreme Court

Mexico competes against arms manufacturers in front of the US Supreme Court

The legal team that Mexico represents in a procedure against eight weapons manufacturers in the United States is preparing to present part of his case on March 4 in front of the Supreme Court of the United States. This was announced by Pablo Arrocha, the legal advisor of the Mexican Foreign Ministry, during the International Forum on Arms Trade and Department in Latin America, which was organized by the Center for Economic Research and Teaching (CIDE).

background of the legal dispute

The Mexican government submitted a lawsuit against several US arms manufacturers in 2021. They are accused of providing weapons that ultimately end up in the hands of drug cartels in Mexico. In addition, Mexico calls for compensation for economic and social damage resulting from gun violence.

arms trade between the USA and Mexico

Mexico, which only In the past, it has been between 70 % and of all weapons that are ensured from the USA. A report of 2024 of the US offices for alcohol, fire bracts and explosives show that 72 % of international arms trading cases that originate in the United States have Mexico as a target country.

Development of the procedure

In October 2024, the Supreme Court of the United States approved an application by Smith & Wesson and other companies to review a judgment of a Federal Available Court that had revived the case after a lower court had dismissed it due to the law to protect the rightful trade in weapons. This law generally excludes civil liability for arms manufacturers and distributors if your products are used by criminal third parties.

Influence of judgments

In judicial documents, the manufacturers rejected Mexico's allegations that they have supported the illegal sale of their weapons in violation of US federal law. They referred to the judgment of the Supreme Court of 2023, which protected Twitter from a lawsuit in which the company was accused of supporting terrorism by housing tweets from the terrorist group ISIS.

"In the zeal to attack the weapon industry, Mexico strives to eliminate fundamental principles of American law that protect the entire economy," wrote the manufacturers in a brief in November 2024.

second lawsuit and progress

A second lawsuit that Mexico submitted in a court in Arizona against five shops in October 2022, selling weapons, is in the evidence phase, according to Arrocha. Mexico accuses these business of negligence, public harassment and unjustified enrichment. According to the ATF, the Arizona weapon trade route to Mexico is only secondary behind the illegal arms trade between Texas and Mexico.

future legal strategies

The legal advisor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that both complaints are made and that there are scenarios for different results. "This is the beginning, and this is the pioneer for something that can enable much broader legal strategies in the future," he said during the forum.

diplomatic tensions

The case reaches the Supreme Court at a time of diplomatic tensions between Mexico and the USA. Last week the US government officially called six Mexican drug cartels Measure that the Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum as Potentally threatening for the Mexican sovereignty characterized.

at the same press conference, Sheinbaum explained that it would strive to follow “every person, whether nationally or foreign, with illegal production, distribution, disposal, transfer and import of weapons into [the national territory Mexico]”.