Join the Pacific Council for an insightful conversation examining the stakes of Mexico’s lawsuit against U.S. gun manufacturers for aiding and abetting illegal arms sales. In January, a federal appeals panel in Massachusetts ruled that Mexico’s civil lawsuit can move forward, reversing a lower court dismal. A February 22 hearing is scheduled in Arizona on a separate case filed by Mexico against gun retailers.

We will discuss Mexico’s legal claims, the recent decisions in Massachusetts and Arizona, the potential impact of these landmark cases on mitigating the harms caused by gun violence in both Mexico and the United States, and proposed legislation in Congress to address the problem of arms trafficking to Mexico's cartels. 

Additionally, we'll explore the broader ramifications for US-Mexico relations, bilateral security, and international arms trade policies previously outlined in the Pacific Council’s 2023 Mexico Report.

There will be time for audience Q&A.

Introductions by

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Carlos González Gutiérrez’s position as Consul General was ratified by the Senate of the Republic on December 13, 2023. Previously, he served as Consul General of Mexico in San Diego from 2019 to 2023 and Consul General of México in Austin, Texas from 2015 to 2019. Promoted by the President of Mexico to the rank of Ambassador in 2011. He’s the founding Executive Director of the Institute of Mexicans Abroad from 2003 to 2009. He also worked as the Head of Post as Consul General of Mexico in Sacramento and Counselor for Latino Affairs at the Mexican Embassy in Washington D.C. from 1999 to 2003. Consul for Community Affairs at the Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles from 1989 to 1995. He joined the Mexican foreign service in 1987. Ambassador González Gutiérrez has specialized in Mexican communities in the US, as all his designations abroad have been in the US. He is the author of several publications on US-Mexico relations.

Carlos González Gutiérrez was born in Mexico City. He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from El Colegio de México and holds a Master’s Degree also in International Relations from the School of International Relations at the University of Southern California.

Guest Speaker

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Alejandro Celorio Alcántara, Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs Legal Advisor

Alejandro Celorio Alcántara has been a member of the Mexican Foreign Service since 2006, currently holding the rank of Counselor. He serves as the Foreign Ministry's Legal Advisor, having previously served as Deputy Legal Adviser "A". In the Mexican embassy in the United States, he was head of the Hispanic and Migration Affairs Section, where he worked to defend the interests of Mexicans in the U.S., especially undocumented Mexicans. He has experience in strategic litigation and in working with pro-migrant and civil rights organizations in the U.S. He has also been posted to the Mexican consulate in Sacramento, California as consul for protection and to the embassy in Paraguay, where he was in charge of political and economic affairs. He is a graduate of the LaSalle University Law School and has a Master's degree in Legal Sociology from the Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law in Spain, and a Master's degree in International Transactions and Comparative Law from the University of San Francisco Law School and in U.S. Law from the University of Houston Law Center. He also has a Certificate in Public Administration from the Universidad Iberoamericana.

Note: Alejandro Celorio Alcántara was unable to speak at this event due to a last minute meeting with the President of Mexico. Taking his place was Miguel Angel Reyes, Deputy Legal Adviser at the Secretariat of Foreign Relations of Mexico.

Guest Speaker

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Miguel Angel Reyes, Deputy Legal Adviser at the Secretariat of Foreign Relations of Mexico

Mr. Reyes holds a law degree from the National Autonomous Univeristy of Mexico and a masters of laws degree (International Law LL.M.) from the University of Houston Law Center. Mr. Reyes has worked at Mexico’s Secretariat of Foreign Relations for 18+ years. He is a member of the Mexican Foreign Service since 2012. Mr. Reyes’s main duty is to advise the Secretary of Foreign Relations and her staff on foreign and international law. He is also one of the lead attorneys in the lawsuits filed by Mexico before international and foreign courts, in order to prevent and stop illicit traffic of firearms.

Presider

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Kathi Lynn Austin is the founder and Executive Director of the Conflict Awareness Project, where she investigates major arms traffickers and other profiteers who fuel war, armed violence, transnational organized crime, and terrorism. Using a “follow the guns” methodology, her work examines the illicit trade of weapons, illegal supply chains, corruption, natural resource exploitation, and wildlife crime spanning Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. With over 35 years of field experience, she is an internationally recognized expert on human rights, security issues, and the weapons trade and is regularly consulted on arms and human rights-related investigations and litigation.

Ms. Austin has served as an arms expert with the United Nations and continues to consult for leading multilateral institutions and non-governmental organizations. Currently, she is a Fellow with the Human Rights Center at the University of California at Berkeley and Principal Researcher for the U.S. -Mexico Security Cooperation Project at the Pacific Council On International Policy.  In October 2023, the Pacific Council published her latest report: "The U.S.- Mexico Double Fix: Combating the Flow of Guns to Transnational Organized Crime.” 

Austin is also a member of the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime, the Forum on the Arms Trade, and Explorers Club. She was named the Arms Control Association’s “Person of the Year” in 2011.