U.S. Representative Terri Sewell, D-Alabama, led a bipartisan letter Monday to Mexican Ambassador Roberto Lazzeri Montaño expressing “concern and outrage” over the Mexican government’s treatment of Birmingham-based Vulcan Materials Co. and American workers.
U.S. Representatives August Pfluger, R-Texas; Salud Carbajal, D-California; and Gary Palmer, R-Alabama, co-led the letter.
“I am proud to lead this bipartisan letter demanding the fair treatment of Vulcan Materials and Alabama workers in Mexico,” Sewell said. “For almost a decade, senior members of the Mexican government have used illegal tactics to intimidate Vulcan Materials and their workers, including a military seizure of Vulcan-owned property in Mexico. I have worked closely with my colleagues in Congress as we pursued all diplomatic and legislative options, including passing the Defending American Property Abroad (DAPA) Act. I will continue to fight for all the workers in my district who have suffered from illegal trade actions by foreign nations.”
“Mexico’s seizure of Vulcan Materials is a direct threat to American jobs, economic security, and national security,” Pfluger said. “Even after an international tribunal found that Mexico violated its trade obligations by shutting down part of Vulcan’s operations, the Mexican government has continued to target this company. That’s why the House passed my Defending American Property Abroad Act, making clear the United States will not tolerate the illegal capture of American-owned assets by foreign governments. I’m proud to join my colleagues in this bipartisan effort and advocate for Vulcan Materials.”
“American companies and workers operating abroad deserve to be treated with fairness,” Carbajal said. “The actions taken against Vulcan Materials are unacceptable and a clear violation of international trade norms. I am joining a bipartisan coalition of my colleagues in demanding an immediate resolution to these illegal actions.”
“The Mexican government’s continued targeting of Vulcan Materials is unacceptable,” Palmer said. “No American company should have its property seized or its operations threatened by a foreign government acting outside the rule of law. Mexico must end these actions, respect Vulcan’s property rights, and demonstrate that it intends to be a trustworthy trading partner of the United States. I’m proud to join my colleagues in standing up for Vulcan and American workers.”
On May 5, 2022, the Mexican government illegally shut down Vulcan’s operations using military force, according to Sewell’s news release. In March 2023, the Mexican government again entered and occupied Vulcan’s property to benefit CEMEX, a private Mexican company, the release said.
On September 23, 2024, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador issued a decree designating the property a Naturally Protected Area, or NPA, preventing Vulcan from using the property for productive purposes. Sewell’s release said the Mexican government is now using what it called “baseless criminal charges” to again enter Vulcan’s property and potentially seize the company’s assets.
Earlier this year, Sewell helped pass the Defending American Property Abroad Act, or DAPA Act, in the House of Representatives. Sewell previously led Alabama’s House delegation in a letter to Mexico’s Foreign Relations Secretary Alicia Bárcena demanding a remedy for what the lawmakers described as an illegal invasion and warning of consequences.
