* Crain’s…
Gov. JB Pritzker is leading a trade mission to Mexico from Sunday through Wednesday focused on agriculture, finance and manufacturing.
The trip to Mexico City follows a delegation to Japan last fall and comes as trade tensions between the U.S. and Mexico are worsening. The Trump administration said March 26 it will impose 25% tariffs on imported cars and parts.
Mexico, which is the state’s second-largest export market with nearly $13 billion in trade in 2024, also is the largest exporter of vehicles and parts to the United States. […]
Agriculture products top the list of Illinois exports to Mexico, followed by chemicals and transportation equipment. Illinois was the fourth-largest importer from Mexico among the states at $19 billion last year. The largest categories are beverages and tobacco, transportation equipment, and electrical equipment, appliances and components.
* Governor Pritzker…
Governor JB Pritzker, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA), and Intersect Illinois, joined by public and private sector leaders from across the state, will lead a trade mission to Mexico from March 30-April 2, 2025.
This trade mission will focus on the importance of deepening economic ties and fostering greater cooperation between the State of Illinois and Mexico. The delegation will engage with Mexican counterparts to discuss enhancing collaboration in key sectors such as agriculture and food processing, finance, and manufacturing, all of which are vital to growing the Illinois economy and creating jobs. Through this mission, Illinois seeks to strengthen its longstanding partnership with Mexico, paving the way for future investment and shared success. […]
Trade mission delegation members include:
JB Pritzker, State of Illinois, Governor
Juliana Stratton, State of Illinois, Lt. Governor
MK Pritzker, State of Illinois, First Lady
Bryan Echols, State of Illinois, Second Gentleman
Anne Caprara, Office of Governor JB Pritzker, Chief of Staff
Andy Manar, Office of Governor JB Pritzker, Deputy Governor
Claire Lindberg, Office of Governor JB Pritzker, First Assistant Deputy Governor
Andrea Vallejo, Office of Governor JB Pritzker, Senior Special Projects Officer
Natashee Scott, Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Chief of Staff
Teresa Reyes, Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Deputy Chief of Staff and Chief Operating Officer
Kristin Richards, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Director
Cas Peters, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Chief Business Attraction Officer
Omar Mendoza, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Managing Director of the Latin America & Caribbean Regional Trade Office
Jerry Costello, Illinois Department of Agriculture, Director
Bobby Dowson, Illinois Department of Agriculture, International Marketing Manager
Carlos Cruz, Illinois Department of Agriculture, Agribusiness Director
Celina Villanueva, Illinois State Senate, State Senator
Cristina Castro, Illinois State Senate, State Senator, Majority Caucus Whip
Elgie Sims, Illinois State Senate, State Senator, Appropriations Leader
Elizabeth Hernandez, Illinois House of Representatives, State Representative, Deputy Majority Leader
Robyn Gabel, Illinois House of Representatives, State Representative, Majority Leader
John Atkinson, Intersect Illinois, Chairman
Christy George, Intersect Illinois, President & CEO
Paulina San Millan, Intersect Illinois, Senior Vice President of Business Development
Robin Ficke, Intersect Illinois, Senior Vice President of Research
Cathriona McGuire Fey, Intersect Illinois, Vice President of Clean Energy and Manufacturing
Reyna Torres Mendivil, Consul General, Consulate General of Mexico in Chicago, Ambassador
Adrian J “AJ” DeLeón, Innovare, CEO
Robert Karr Jr., Barnes & Thornburg LLP, Partner
Carly McCrory-McKay, Champaign County Economic Development Corporation and iFAB Tech Hub Executive Director & Chief Partnerships Officer
Chris Setti, Greater Peoria Economic Development Council, CEO & Founding Partner
Craig Meyer, JLL, President
Dan Lynch, United Airlines, Vice President, State and Local Government Affairs
Daniel Gamba, Northern Trust, President of Asset Management
David Reifman, Croke Fairchild Duarte & Beres, Partner
Doug Pryor, Will County Center for Economic Development, President & CEO
Elizabeth “Betsy” Ziegler, 1871, CEO
Federico Gorbea, Archer Daniels Midland, President for North Latin America
Gil Quiniones, ComEd, President & CEO
Greg Bedalov , Choose DuPage, President & CEO
Guillermo Garcia, GSG Consulting, Inc., President
Jack Lavin, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, President & CEO
Jaime di Paulo, Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, President & CEO
James Reynolds, Loop Capital, Chairman & CEO
Jennifer Aguilar, Little Village Chamber of Commerce, Executive Director
Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, Will County, County Executive
Jennifer Tirey, Illinois Pork Producers Association, Executive Director
Jesse Ruiz, The Vistria Group, LP Partner, General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer
John Lumpe, Illinois Soybean Association, CEO
John Lyons, DLA Piper, Partner
Joseph Dominguez, Constellation, President & CEO
Josh St. Peters, Illinois Beef Association, Executive Vice President
Juan Salgado, City Colleges of Chicago, Chancellor
Kaitlin Fahey, Magnify Strategies, CEO & Founding Partner
Kara Demirjian-Huss, TCCI Manufacturing & DCC Marketing, Owner & Senior Vice President
Kyle Kamin, CBRE, Vice Chairman
Leonard Singh, Ameren Illinois, Chairman & President
Lisa Freeman, Northern Illinois University, President
Maria Bocanegra, Peoples Gas & North Shore Gas, President
Mark Denzler, Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, President & CEO
Martin Cabrera, Cabrera Capital Markets, CEO
Martin Montes, Barnes & Thornburg LLP, Partner
Meredith O’Connor, JLL, International Director
Nicole Bateman, Economic Development Corporation of Decatur & iFAB Tech Hub, President & Chief Strategy Officer
Oswaldo Alvarez, Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus Foundation, Executive Director
Patrick Hoban, Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council, CEO
Rob Karr, Illinois Retail Merchants Association, President & CEO
Rodney Weinzierl, Illinois Corn Growers Association, Executive Director
Ryan McCrady, Springfield Sangamon Growth Alliance, President & CEO
Sandy Hart, Lake County, Chairperson
Timothy Killeen, University of Illinois System, President
Wendell Dallas, Nicor Gas, President & CEO
“As a Mexican American founder of an investment firm, it is an honor to be part of Governor Pritzker’s timely trade mission to Mexico,” said Martin Cabrera, CEO of Cabrera Capital. “Trade supports over 800,000 jobs in Illinois, and our firm values businesses that support international cooperation and investments that benefit working families at home. I look forward to joining Governor Pritzker and leaders from across the state as we deepen cooperation and economic ties.”
…Adding… This trip has been contemplated for at least two years…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker plans to return to Chicago on Thursday after a seven-day trip to Great Britain aimed at advancing Illinois’ economic development goals, including in clean energy and technology — his second major international trip this year.
And the Democratic governor has hinted that more trips — including travel to Israel, Mexico and Asia — are in the works.
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More on yesterday’s EO (Updated)
Thursday, Mar 27, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
* More background is here if you need it. Tribune…
Democrats in Springfield and Washington are vowing to defend Illinois election laws against a sweeping executive order from Donald Trump aimed at limiting counting of mail-in votes, requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote and giving Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency access to voter data. […]
Trump’s order goes after one significant aspect of Illinois election law, a 2015 statute that requires the counting of mail-in ballots that are postmarked or voter-signed and certified by Election Day and arrive within the following 14 days. Illinois is among about 20 states that allow post-Election Day vote counting.
The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago in August upheld a lower federal court ruling that dismissed a case brought by Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Bost of Murphysboro and led by the conservative law group Judicial Watch that sought to prevent any votes from being counted after Election Day.
Judicial Watch appealed the case, which was dismissed for lack of standing, to the U.S. Supreme Court. The appeal came less than a month after the conservative 5th District Circuit Court of Appeals in Louisiana sided with Republicans and said Mississippi’s law allowing post-Election Day vote counting violated federal law. […]
Trump ordered the U.S. attorney general’s office to “take all necessary action” against states that “include absentee or mail-in ballots received after Election Day in the final tabulation of votes for the appointment of presidential electors and the election of” U.S. senators and House members. He also said the federal Election Assistance Commission “shall condition any available funding to a state on that state’s compliance” with counting all votes on Election Day.
I don’t know how the president can claim that he has the power to decide a dispute between two appellate circuits. That’s the US Supreme Court’s job.
…Adding… Press release excerpt…
In response to the executive order, a group of voting rights advocates including the League of Women Voters of Illinois and the ACLU of Illinois released the following statement:
As organizations who have worked tirelessly to advance and expand access to the ballot across Illinois for many years, we condemn the President’s blatant overreach aimed at changing the progress we have made in our state. Donald Trump would disenfranchise millions of eligible voters—based on the lie that non-citizens are voting in large numbers. This executive order—like so many of Trump’s efforts—is blatantly illegal and attempts to substitute the conspiracy theories of the Trump White House for good policy measures we have adopted in Illinois.
With less than a week before voters across the State of Illinois go to the ballot box in critical important elections, no one should be confused or misled: the President’s order does not impact the ability of people to vote by mail or register on election day in our state for these elections. We encourage everyone who is eligible to participate and vote for candidates who reflect their values in these important local elections.
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* Click here for the EO. From the Washington Post…
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday requiring people to provide documents proving they are citizens when they register to vote, a mandate that experts said could prevent millions of Americans from voting.
The order reflects Trump’s long-standing fixation on election administration as well as his baseless claims following the 2016 and 2020 presidential races that both were riddled with fraud, particularly illegal voting by noncitizens. There is no evidence that widespread corruption, by noncitizens or others, tainted either contest.
Republicans in dozens of states have sought for decades to require voters to present identification to cast ballots, but Trump has taken that effort to a new level with an executive order establishing a federal mandate to provide proof of citizenship to register to vote.
The U.S. Constitution designates the power to regulate the “time, place and manner” of elections to the states, with the proviso that Congress can step in and override those laws. It gives no specific power to the president to do so. Election experts said that Trump was claiming power he does not have and that lawsuits over the measure were all but guaranteed. […]
Others suggested that the order reflects Trump’s desire to expand executive power — and for the Supreme Court to allow it. His order directs the Election Assistance Commission — an agency governed by statute enacted by Congress — to change the federal voter registration form to require government-issued documentary proof of citizenship.
Lots of his EOs are essentially performative.
* Gov. Pritzker press release…
Today, Governor JB Pritzker released the following statement regarding Donald Trump’s executive order to attack free and fair elections in the United States:
“Voting is a fundamental right and sacred responsibility of every American. Yet, once again Donald Trump is ignoring the rule of law and circumventing Congress.
“We need to call this what it is: another illegal, extreme, and dangerous attempt to take power away from the American people and hand it over the wealthiest man in the world, Elon Musk, who wishes to decide which U.S. citizens can and can’t vote.
“We will not blindly follow illegal orders because Donald Trump wrote them down on a piece of paper. Illinois follows the laws of the land – not the decrees of an aspiring king hell bent on disenfranchising millions of voters who deserve to have their voice heard.
“In the face of these attacks on voting rights, Illinois will continue to administer free and fair elections while standing up for strong, secure, and accessible democracy.”
…Adding… Rep. West…
State Rep. Maurice West (D-Rockford), Assistant Majority Leader and Chair of the Illinois House Ethics and Elections Committee, released the following statement responding to Donald Trump’s latest attack on Illinois’ electoral process:
“Illinois elections are secure, accessible, and fair. In recent years, the Illinois General Assembly has worked collaboratively with the Illinois State Board of Elections and local election authorities to enact legislative solutions with the goal of promoting civic engagement and ensuring all voters can cast their ballots in a safe, convenient manner.
“When Illinoisans go to the polls, they must have confidence that their vote will be counted quickly and accurately. Instead of engaging Congress or working with the states, Donald Trump is attempting to hand down illegal orders to interfere with our electoral process and potentially disenfranchise millions of people. This new effort comes after years of promoting bizarre, false election conspiracy theories, eroding trust in our democracy and its civic institutions.
“I look forward to working collaboratively with my colleagues to continue to strengthen our electoral system and ensure our votes are free from illegal interference by any outside actor – including the president. Illinois will follow the law, not Donald Trump’s whims.”
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