Structural reform of customs agents means they will become foreign trade police, according to José Ignacio Zaragoza, president of the Confederation of Customs Agents Associations of the Mexican Republic (CAAAREM).
The Customs Law reform initiative was presented as part of the 2026 Economic Package and represents the most significant update since 1995.
Zaragoza told lawmakers on Friday: if you want customs agents to “be the police of foreign trade and the first line of defense, we must have the tools and we must have certainty in our profession.”
Structural reform of customs agents
The reform imposes joint liability on customs agents for tariffs and taxes in all their operations. The license is no longer valid for life. It will be valid for ten years and may be renewed. To do so, psychometric tests, reliability tests, and annual financial disclosures will be required.
On the other hand, the Customs Council is created with powers to assign, suspend, or cancel licenses. The grounds for sanctions are also expanded to include tax evasion, criminal proceedings, or inactivity. In addition, agents may not be partners in customs brokerage firms and must join the board of directors of customs agencies.
“Making customs agents directly responsible distorts their role. They are authorized third parties, not authorities. They have no coercive powers, no access to databases, and no direct verification capabilities. It contradicts the free trade agreement (USMCA),” added Zaragoza.
Legislative process
The initiative was presented to Congress on September 9 and was referred to the Chamber of Deputies for review by committees. It is part of the Economic Package and faces political pressure to be approved before December 15, 2025.
Its approval would imply adjustments to secondary legislation, such as the Customs Law Regulations or the General Rules of Foreign Trade. Customs agents are not public officials, but private actors who support the government in controlling trade. Currently, 804 agents are operating, while 66 are facing cancellation proceedings.
So far, CAAAREM has disaffiliated nine customs agents for links to fiscal huachicol. Huachicol is the illegal transfer of fuel extracted from pipelines.
“Yes, there were bad customs agents, of course. There are nine customs agents who have been fully identified and who are no longer part of our confederation,” said Zaragoza, interviewed by the press in the Senate on Tuesday.