Nuevo Laredo (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈnweβo laˈɾeðo]) is a city in the Municipality of Nuevo Laredo in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. The city lies on the banks of the Rio Grande, across from Laredo, Texas, United States. The 2010 census population of the city was 373,725. Nuevo Laredo is part of the Laredo-Nuevo Laredo Metropolitan Area with a population of 636,516. The municipality has an area of 1,334.02 km2 (515.07 sq mi). Nuevo Laredo is considered the “customs capital of Latin America” because of its high volume of international trade operations in the region, and number 1 in importance for US inland commercial traffic. Both the city and the municipality rank as the third largest in the state.
The city is connected to Laredo, United States by three international bridges and a rail bridge. The city is larger and younger than its US counterpart. As an indication of its economic importance, one of Mexico's banderas monumentales is in the city (these banderas have been established in state capitals and cities of significance).
History
Pre-Hispanic period
Before the founding of Nuevo Laredo, the area was inhabited by different nomadic indigenous tribes. The most prominent indigenous group to have lived in the Nuevo Laredo region were the Coahuiltecas. The Coahuiltecas were hunter-gatherers who manufactured many stone and leather artifacts in order to survive the harsh environment.
Later, the region saw the influx of other nomadic indigenous tribes, such as the Apaches and Comanches. The increasing numbers of Apaches led the Spanish authorities to establish military garrisons and towns to serve as a buffer zone against northern indigenous tribes. Laredo (now in Texas) was one of those towns founded by the Spanish, from which Nuevo Laredo would stem into existence.
Colonial period
Nuevo Laredo was part of the territory of the original settlement of Laredo (now in Texas) which was founded in 1755 by the Spaniard Don Tomás Sánchez in the northern part of the Rio Grande. The settlement's territory was granted to José de Escandón by the King of Spain, and the settlement's territory and population remained unified for ninety years, until the war of 1846–1848, the Mexican–American War.
Independent period
Early in 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo divided the territory attached to Laredo between the United States (Texas) and Mexico (Tamaulipas). Nuevo Laredo was founded on June 15, 1848, by seventeen Laredo families who wished to remain Mexican and therefore moved to the Mexican side of the Rio Grande. They identified with Mexico, its history, and its cultural customs, and decided to keep their Mexican citizenship. The founders of Nuevo Laredo even took with them the bones of their ancestors so they would continue to rest in Mexican ground.
In August 25, 1855 the customs house was officially established in Nuevo Laredo by orders of Santiago Vidaurri, governor of Nuevo León and Coahuila, and military chief of Tamaulipas. This was to collect import taxes at the new border with the United States.
In 1858 a duty-free zone was established along the border with the United States. Nuevo Laredo fell inside this area of tax exemption in order to be competitive with American markets. The creation of this border economic zone was ratified three years later by president Benito Juárez.
During the early stage of international trade that crossed through the Nuevo Laredo-Laredo border, activity in general was low but high in import-export of cattle, gold, silver and leather.
In 1881, the railroad infrastructure connecting Nuevo Laredo with central Mexico and with San Antonio, Texas was established by president Porfirio Díaz. This created the need to build a more formal Customs House building equipped to this new reality in 1887. The new economic boom made Nuevo Laredo become the 3rd most important international commercial crossing in Mexico, so in 1891 the Congress of the state of Tamaulipas formally elevated the status of Nuevo Laredo to a city.
Modern period
20th-century Nuevo Laredo was politically and socially dominated locally by the presence of the PRI political party and workers' unions. While economically, the city continued to be influenced by international trade with the United States and its influential customs office.
The Nuevo Laredo customs office became so important, that the city began to attract an influx of population from different regions of the country. Custom officials were brought from Mexico City to fill the ever-growing departments within the Custom offices in the international bridges, railroad, airport, checkpoints, tax-collecting offices, and administration office.
The population growth attracted more people, which led to chaotically expand its urban sprawl. The eastern side is enclosed by the Rio Grande River, so people had no choice but to settle in its western side, locally known as el poniente (the west). Hence, the west-side of Nuevo Laredo became poverty-stricken, unprivileged and crime infested.
In the 1980s and 1990s municipal presidents of Nuevo Laredo focused their efforts in regularizing the west-side settlements into incorporated neighborhoods. In the 2000s and 2010s endeavors by municipal presidents shifted to paving streets and building schools for west-side Nuevo Laredo. But no intention was ever accomplished to eliminate crime.
In 2013, the decade-long PRI party hegemony in Nuevo Laredo was broken when Carlos Enrique Canturosas Villarreal of the PAN political party was elected municipal president.
A shortage of natural gas led to blackouts in Texas and along the border during the February 13–17, 2021 North American winter storm. Millions on both sides of the border were left without gas or electricity, heat or running water. Factories and restaurants were forced to close, and people lost their jobs. Mayor Enrique Rivas Cuéllar called upon the population not to panic.
As of February 19, 2021, Nuevo Laredo reported 4,714 cases of COVID-19.
As a border town, Nuevo Laredo is known for its turf war in which drug cartels compete for control of the drug trade into the United States. Nuevo Laredo is a lucrative drug corridor. A large number of trucks pass through the area. There are multiple exploitable ports of entry.
Los Texas
During the 1980s and 1990s the criminal syndicate known as Los Texas was based in Nuevo Laredo and operated all over the Mexican states of Coahuila and Tamaulipas as well as the US state of Texas. Their leader was Arturo Martinez Herrera "El Texas".
Their criminal activity began as coyotes, sending illegal immigrants into the United States. Then they used illegal immigrants to cross the border with drugs. Their grip on Nuevo Laredo against other criminal groups generated deadly violence.
"El Texas" was arrested, and Guillermo Martinez Herrera "El Borrado" took control of Los Texas. When "El Borrado" was captured, Daniel Martinez Herrera "El Negro" became the leader, although true power remained with "El Borrado" who operated from his luxurious prison cell at Nuevo Laredo's La Loma prison.
Los Zetas
Los Zetas, the armed wing of the Gulf Cartel, and based in Nuevo Laredo, escalated violence to unprecedented violence in the summer of 2003 through gruesome violence and military-like tactics against the Sinaloa Cartel. Los Zetas also instilled terror against journalists and civilians of Nuevo Laredo. This set a new precedent which cartels later mimicked.
Los Zetas and Gulf Cartel separated in early 2010 and fought for the control of the smuggling routes to the United States. As of 2012, Los Zetas were thought to be Mexico's largest criminal organization. 2012 saw an unprecedented series of mass murder attacks in the city between the Sinaloa Cartel and Gulf Cartel on one side and Los Zetas on the other.
Los Zetas had a rapid expansion of their criminal activities. Based in Nuevo Laredo, they expanded to 17 Mexican states. They caused many notable massacres across many of these states. Stretching of resources as well as the capture and killing of their main leaders contributed to the decline of Los Zetas. The criminal organization ceased to exist under this name and structure, in its place Cartel Del Noreste (Northeastern Cartel) or CDN was born.
Cartel del Noreste
The Cartel del Noreste, known locally by its initials CDN, grew power from its deep historical roots in Nuevo Laredo. The CDN managed to pushed away their rival cartels, Zetas Vieja Escuela and Gulf Cartel, grasping control of Nuevo Laredo. CDN also held control of Nuevo Laredo because its top leaders are locals and members of the Treviño family. First, Juan Francisco Treviño Chávez, alias "El Kiko" assumed leadership of the CDN cartel. After his capture in 2016, Juan Gerardo Treviño Chávez, alias "El Huevo" assumed control of CDN.
In March 2022, the Mexican military arrested "El Huevo", sparking an extreme outbreak of violence marked by an hours-long firefight, burned-out vehicles, and shots fired at the United States Consulate in Nuevo Laredo.
On November 29, 2023, the leader of the CDN Cesar Silva Delgado "El Tartas" was captured by the Mexican military and the Mexican National Guard in Nuevo Laredo. During his arrest, authorities seized a gold-plated AK-47, a handgun, ammo and magazines for high-caliber firearms. Authorities also seized 2,500 fentanyl pills.
In February 2025, a joint operation by The Secretariat of National Defense was carried out with the assistance from Mexican Navy, Attorney General's Office, the Mexican National Guard and the Department of Security and Citizen Protection, that led to the capture of Ricardo González Sauceda, aliases 'El Ricky' or 'Mando R,' in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas. Authorities said that on August 17, González Sauceda coordinated an attack on the Mexican military in Nuevo Laredo, injuring five soldiers and killing two. "El Ricky" is also accused of the deaths of six officers within the Nuevo León Civil Force.
Geography
Nuevo Laredo is in the northern tip of Tamaulipas on the west end of the Rio Grande Plains. The Rio Grande is the only source that supplies its citizens with water. El Coyote Creek supplies Nuevo Laredo's only natural lake El Laguito (The Small Lake). The area consists of a few hills and flat land covered with grass, oak, and mesquite.
Climate
Nuevo Laredo features a semi-arid climate. Nuevo Laredo's weather is influenced by its proximity to the Chihuahuan Desert to the west, by the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains to the south and west, and by the Gulf of Mexico to the east. Much of the moisture from the Pacific is blocked by the Sierra Madre Oriental. Therefore, most of the moisture derives from the Gulf of Mexico. Its geographic location causes Nuevo Laredo's weather to range from long periods of heat to sudden violent storms in a short period of time. Nuevo Laredo is cold for Tamaulipas standards during winter, the average daytime highs are around 19 °C (66 °F) and overnight lows around 6 °C (43 °F); although it is rare for snow to fall in Nuevo Laredo, there was actually snow on the ground for a few hours on the morning of Christmas Day 2004.
Nuevo Laredo experiences an average high temperature of about 102 °F (39 °C), and an average low of about 24 °C (75 °F) during summer, and 510 millimetres (20 in) of rain per year. As Laredo sometimes undergoes drought, a water conservation ordinance was implemented in 2003.
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Government
Nuevo Laredo is governed by an elected Ayuntamiento, which is composed of the Presidente Municipal (Municipal President, equivalent of a Mayor), two Síndicos (high-ranking council members), and 21 Regidores (council members). The mayor is in charge of the municipal administration. The Síndicos supervise the municipal budget and expenditures, and the Regidores represent the people of different neighborhoods of Nuevo Laredo as well as their own political party.
Carmen Lilia Canturosas Villarreal is the current municipal president of Nuevo Laredo. MORENA is the current ruling political party in the city.
Public safety
Public safety is provided by three municipal departments: (1) municipal police (Dirección de Seguridad Ciudadana), (2) traffic control (Dirección de Seguridad Vial), and (3) the emergency services department (Dirección de Protección Civil, Bomberos y Desastres).
As well as the State Police Force Tamaulipas ("Fuerza Tamaulipas") replacing former Acreditable State Police ("Polícia Estatal Acreditable")
Because of the drug-related violence, Federal level departments take part in the security effort, SEDENA Military Police ("Polícia Military") Mexican Army Troops, SEMAR Mexican Navy Troops and the National Guard of Mexico.