U.S. Deputy Secretary of State visit to Mexico
November 9, 2022
Institutional Context
The U.S. Deputy Secretary of State is the principal deputy to the Secretary of State. The current Deputy Secretary of State is Wendy Sherman, serving since April 2021 under Secretary of State, Antony Blinken. If the Secretary of State resigns or dies, the Deputy Secretary of State becomes acting Secretary of State until the president nominates and the Senate confirms a replacement. The position was created in 1972. Prior to July 13, 1972, the Under Secretary of State had been the Second Ranking Officer of the Department of State.
The State Department is the only federal cabinet-level agency to have two co-equal Deputy Secretaries. The Second Deputy Secretary of State, the Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, serves as the "first assistant" for the purposes of the Vacancies Reform Act, but both Deputy Secretaries have full delegated authority to act for the Secretary, if not otherwise prohibited by law.
U.S. Undersecretary of State visit to Mexico
On November 9th, 2022, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marcelo Ebrard received the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Wendy Sherman, and the U.S. delegation. During this meeting, officials highlighted the importance of the North American Leaders’ Summit (NALS) to be celebrated in Mexico on January 10th, next year. It was also discussed that the main themes for the upcoming Summit will be the economy, competitiveness, relocation of investments in information and communication technologies, and security.
Deputy Secretary Sherman and Minister Ebrard also agreed on the need for a new approach to migration that seeks to open other channels for more humane mobility in North America. The two delegations agreed to continue the work of the High Level Economic Dialogue (HLED) to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the The Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors and Science Act of 2022 (CHIPS Act), as well as to work together with the private sector to strengthen semiconductor, medical equipment and electromobility supply chains.
On the Mexican side, the Minister was accompanied by the Head of the North American Unit, Roberto Velasco; the General Director of American Regional Organizations and Mechanisms,Efraín Guadarrama; the Coordinator of Political Affairs for North America, Cristina Planter; and the Director of Economic Affairs and Innovation for North America, David Fortoul.
The United States delegation was made up of the United States Ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar; Deputy Assistant Secretary for North America Rachel Poynter; the Director for North America of the National Security Council, Max Hamilton; the Head of the Office of the Undersecretary, Mustafa Popal; and the Head of the Deputy Mission of the United States Embassy in Mexico, Stephanie Syptak-Ramnath.
