Harris alum launches bipartisan group to advance Mexican-American relations

A collection of former ambassadors and CEOs is launching a new group, the American Mexican Leadership Council (AMLC), focused on strengthening bilateral relations between the two neighbors and advocating for one of the largest Latino communities within the U.S.

“This organization is truly the first of its kind, an organization that is connecting leaders across community of 40 million people from across the country, and also focused on the relationship with Mexico, which is one of our most important partners and allies, obviously a country that we have such a huge connection to whether we’re talking about our culture, across our economy,”  Sergio Gonzales, the organization’s founder and a former deputy chief of staff for the Harris campaign, told The Hill.

“How can we work together as a diaspora, as the Mexican American community, and how can we ensure that we’re working together with Mexico to expand economic opportunity and prosperity and regional economic security….There’s just an immense consequence of the policies and perceptions of both the community in this country as well as the relationship with Mexico that cannot be taken for granted any longer.”

The group will have a number of figures from both sides of the aisle on its board, including Federico Peña, who served as secretary of Transportation under President Clinton, former House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican who previously represented South Florida in Congress, and former California Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, a Democrat.

“As someone who has spent my career working across borders, I believe deeply in leadership that is informed, collaborative, and forward-looking,” Nathalie Rayes, co-chair of AMLC’s board of directors and former ambassador to Croatia, said in a statement. 

“The American Mexican Leadership Council is built to advance that kind of leadership – strengthening ties, building trust, and delivering real impact for our communities in both countries.” 

Gonzalez noted that Mexico is now the U.S.’s largest trading partner, exchanging over $2.5 billion in goods and services on a daily basis.

“Major industries have a lot at stake when it comes to partnership. And so this organization really is about bringing our Mexican American community together and connecting leaders so that we can work with decision makers and experts and others across different sectors, including business, to have a very thoughtful, constructive and forward leaning discussion and agenda when it comes to the economic future,” he said.

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