Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum, will attend the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada, on 15-17 June, in what will be her first high-level diplomatic engagement since taking office. Although Mexico is not a formal member of the Group of Seven – which comprises the US, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, and Japan – Sheinbaum’s invitation by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney signals the bloc’s growing interest in Latin American stability and cooperation.

The Mexican delegation, coordinated by Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente, is expected to engage in multiple bilateral meetings. Among the most anticipated is a probable encounter with US President Donald Trump, which Sheinbaum floated during a press conference on June 9. According to El Economista, this meeting would address key bilateral issues such as migration enforcement, regional security, and trade under the USMCA (known in Mexico as T-MEC).

Though the two leaders have yet to meet in person, they have held six phone calls to address tensions over tariffs, crime and immigration.

The backdrop to the potential Sheinbaum-Trump meeting is particularly fraught. In recent days, US immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted mass raids in Los Angeles, detaining at least 42 Mexican nationals at the order of the Trump administration. These controversial actions have triggered violent protests across California and prompted direct criticism from Sheinbaum, who condemned the operations as “criminalisation of Mexican migrants.” She stressed that her administration would “always stand by Mexican citizens abroad” and called for lawful, respectful immigration procedures. Her government has coordinated closely with the US Embassy and credited the Mexican consulate in Los Angeles for its response.

Beyond migration, Mexico aims to cement its diplomatic and economic relevance within the G7 framework. Analysts cited by The Globe and Mail note that Sheinbaum’s pragmatic leadership style has been well received by foreign stakeholders. Goldy Hyder, president of the Business Council of Canada, praised her administration’s “effective coordination” with an increasingly confrontational US and its proactive stance on trilateral trade matters.

The summit presents an opportunity for Mexico to influence global conversations, particularly as geopolitical alliances are being reshaped by populist leadership in the US and economic rebalancing post-pandemic.