Mexico & USA Relations after USMCA

Rodrigo Montes de Oca Arboleya

Rodrigo Montes de Oca is a research scholar at the Baker Institute Center for the United States and Mexico. His research primarily focuses on the rule of law in Mexico. Montes de Oca previously worked for the Mexican Supreme Court of Justice for 10 years, where he held various positions such as career law clerk for Justice José Ramón Cossío Díaz. He also drafted and edited opinions on a wide range of civil, criminal and administrative issues, including class action lawsuits, consumer protection mechanisms, liability of public officials, organized crime, recreational use of marijuana and health regulations. From 2009 to 2011, he was part of the editorial board of Reforma, one of Mexico’s major newspapers. He is currently a member of the editorial committee for the “Law Practice” collection published by Tirant Lo Blanch.

Montes de Oca holds an LL.M. from the University of Houston, and a master’s degree in government and public policy from the Universidad Panamericana in Mexico. He received a law degree from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México.

Adolfo Garcia Estrada

Mr. García Estrada is a career diplomat who joined the Ministry of Foreign Relations of Mexico in January 2000. He has the rank of Counsellor in the Mexican Foreign Service.

He started his career in the Direction-General for the United Nations before joining the Latin American Division in 2001.  As a member of the Mexican Foreign Service, he first served as Political Attaché at the Embassy of Mexico in Finland (2003-2006) and Deputy Chief of Mission and Chief of Political Affairs at the Embassy of Mexico in Ireland (2006-2010).

At the Headquarters in Mexico City he has been posted at the Direction-General for North America (2010-2011) and as Advisor to the Vice Minister for North American Affairs (2011-2013), before starting a second tour abroad as Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Mexico in Thailand (2013-2017) and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Mexico in Malaysia (2017-2019).

Since August 2019, he is the Deputy Consul General at the Consulate General of Mexico in Houston, Texas.

Charles C Foster (Moderator)

Mr. Foster previously served as Chairman of the Governor’s Task Force on Immigration, the GHP’s Economic Development Advisory Committee and World Trade Division, the American Bar Association’s Coordinating Committee on Immigration Law, the State Bar of Texas Committee on Laws Relating to Immigration and Nationality and is past National President of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the Houston Forum and the Houston Club and Board member of Ripley / Baker.