Moctezuma defends the use of Finabien card for remittances

Arturo Sánchez Jiménez

La Jornada newspaper
Wednesday, July 23, 2025, p. 4

The Mexican ambassador to the United States, Esteban Moctezuma Barragán, stressed that the proposal of President Claudia Sheinbaum to promote the use of financial debit cards for well -being (FINABIEN) called finabien paisan@ for remittances is totally consistent with the US law and that far from seeking evasion, it promotes the use of regulated financial instruments.

The diplomat thus responded to the accusations of Republican Senator Eric Schmitt, who accused the president of trying to help Mexicans evade A new remittance tax approved by the US Congress.

“The president’s proposal @Claudiashein To promote the use of a formal debit card in remittance transfers, instead of cash, it is totally consistent with US law and the remittance provisions adopted by Congress, ”wrote the diplomat in a message addressed to Schmitt in the social network X.“ This clearly does not ‘evade’ the statute, but promotes the way in which the Congress structured the law. ”

Moctezuma added that Mexico and the United States work in a coordinated manner to meet common objectives, such as the fight against transnational criminal organizations and the strengthening of border security, and that part of this bilateral effort is to encourage the use of formal financial mechanisms, which generates economic and security benefits.

From the perspective of both nations, the change of remittances of anonymous mechanisms based on cash towards regulated financial institutions produces concrete economic and security benefits by improving financial intelligence and transparency, as well as promoting financial inclusion and stabilityhe pointed out.

The Ambassador’s response occurs after Schmitt lashed out against the president, whom she accused of being openly trying to help their compatriots in the United States to avoid our new remittance tax.

In a series of publications, the senator – who had proposed to raise the gravamen to remittances to 15 percent – said the Mexican government depends of remittances, which in his opinion generates an incentive not to stop migration to the United States. Thus, said Mexico He has refused to stop the flow of immigrants For financial reasons.