At dawn, container ships from Asia unload at a huge Pacific port in Mexico that so far appears to be weathering the storm unleashed by US President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Members of the navy patrol the waters off Lazaro Cardenas, which for years has also been a gateway for drug flows that Mexico is under pressure from Trump to stop.
The port, which covers an area of water and land the size of several thousand football fields, handles thousands of vehicles and even more auto parts.
Millions of other goods from various industries and countries also arrive at the port.
As well as the logistical challenge, Mexican authorities face mounting pressure from Trump to tackle trafficking of drugs or their precursors hidden in imported goods.
The importance of Lazaro Cardenas — located in Michoacan, one of Mexico’s most violent states — reflects the country’s deep integration with the United States and Canada thanks to decades of free trade agreements.
“It’s a strategic logistics point,” Joel Mendez, the port’s operations manager, told AFP during a tour of the facilities.
The port is connected to a railroad that extends to the United States and Canada, so a container can arrive in Chicago in seven days.
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