Shortly after taking office on January 20, United States President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order titled “Securing Our Borders”, aimed at curtailing human trafficking and smuggling along the 1,954-mile border with Mexico that stretches from the mouth of the Rio Grande River at the Gulf of Mexico west to the Pacific Ocean.
Not far from where the Rio Grande empties into the Gulf of Mexico is the City of Laredo, Texas, one of two home cities of the Tecolotes de Los Dos Laredos of the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol, who split their home schedule between Laredo and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, just across the border.
In 2025, the organization is celebrating the 40th anniversary of their first season playing home games on both sides of the U.S./Mexico border.
With the 2025 LMB season rapidly approaching and the effects of the change in border policy looming large in the news, I spoke to Cuitlahuac Rodriguez, the general manager of U.S. operations for the Tecos, about the upcoming season and the effect of the new border policy on the team.
His answers have been edited for length and clarity.
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World Baseball Network: Can you tell me what the mood is like down there at the border, given everything that’s happened this week?
Cuitlahuac Rodriguez: You know, the mood is kind of… it’s very relaxed. This last election, Laredo voted Republican for the first time in a hundred years. It’s pretty relaxed right now, you know, but if this tariff thing goes through, then the mood might change a little here. Laredo lives off of import-export with Mexico, so it would be a huge hit. No, things aren’t going to stop. They might slow down a little at the beginning, but, you know, at the end of the day, what’s going to happen, the [American] consumer is going to end up paying for it. Right. And maybe some of the smaller operations will be affected, but right now it’s just wait and see.
As far as industry-wise, people are a little nervous, but calm right now. They’re not panicking yet. Laredo can’t exist without Nuevo Laredo. And, you know, it’s funny how you go, you pass by the more affluent neighborhoods of Laredo, and around 9 a.m. when the buses stop by the neighborhoods, you see all the people that have crossed the bridge to come as housekeepers, nannies and all that. And a lot of them are for government workers. Laredo, after import-export, our next big industry is government workers, Border Patrol, CBP, all sorts, the inspections people. So it’s gonna be interesting. I think it’s take some of these things to start taking effect for people to really start to realize what’s happening.
WBN: Have you gone back and forth across the border this week at all?Did you notice anything different passing back and forth?
CR: I didn’t notice anything and, for example, the people that come to the office here to for whatever reason from Nuevo Laredo, as of right now, they haven’t told me anything like, “oh they’re tougher or you know they’re you know this time, they asked me this…” At least not yet.
WBN: Is this going to affect the operation of the team on both sides of the border in any way?
CR: It shouldn’t, you know, because, you know, all our players have visas before the season starts, you know, we get letters from the city government that we take to CBP explaining why the players are crossing and what we’re doing, you know, and we use those letters to demonstrate to CBP how we have the support. So, you know, where it might hit us is in the stands.
WBN: With regard to player personnel, you’ve had Danry Vasquez, Balbino Fuenmayor, and a lot of guys that have come from not just Mexico, but also, Venezuela, which is being targeted by the Trump administration in regards to migrants. Do you guys have any worries about players from outside the U.S. and Mexico being able to be a part of the team and cross the border back and forth?
CR: We have gotten a lot stricter on the type of players that we sign, and we try to stay away from players that have had some sort of problem or situation with either CBP or law enforcement in the United States. You mentioned Danry Vasquez. He had a situation, but last season we were able to get his visa, and right now, his process play, you know, for a player visa seems to be going fine. I’ve been asked this also by others, and I tell them, “look, if anything, we should be used as an example of how, if things are done correctly, if things are done the way they’re supposed to be done, everything’s going to be fine.” Have we had to change a little bit? Like I said, right now we’ve gotten stricter with the type of player that we bring. Yeah, we’ve had to, but at the end of the day, it’s better for us and it’s better for the league.
WBN: So what would the effect be on attendance on both sides, do you think?
CR: We do have some fans that cross back and forth, you know, we have been trying to get more fans from over there to come over here and the same more fans from here to go over there. So you know, you know, I think if anything, if it hits anything, at least for this season, it’s going to be, you know, economy. You know, if Laredo does see that that downtick in import-export and transportation going down and stuff like that, well, that’s our families. So they might not have the money to come to as many games.
I think, if anything, that’s what’s going to hit us, not really the cross-border transit, at least not yet. I have heard rumors about how they want to implement these rules at CBP, like for people that are coming here on a visitor’s visa, like basically almost half to more than three quarters of the people that cross every day. If you’re saying that you’re going to come, to the they’re going to ask you, “Why are you coming to Laredo?”
“Oh, it’s because I need to go shopping,” Okay. And if you don’t have a certain amount of money,they’re not going to… it’s not going to be accepted. But again, that’s just a rumor I heard. Does it sound like it’s something they would do? Yes. It does sound like something they would do, but you know, until then, it’s kind of hard to tell. It’s really hard to tell. And especially since Laredo voted Republican, so a lot of people are, if they’re regretting it, they’re not saying it. At least not yet.
WBN: If you had to guess at like the walk-up sale for games from people on the other side, on each side, what do you think it would be? A couple hundred per game?
CR: Right now I would say yes, but again, this just started. By the time our season starts in April, not even April, I think around March, we’ll know a lot more. Because I think the tariff thing is supposed to take effect February 1. And also, who knows what the Texas governor’s up to also. It’s hard to tell right now, but again, what’s kind of strange, it’s important to mention, but it’s strange at the same time, is that Laredo is very unique. Even in Washington, you mention Laredo and people are like, “Oh, Laredo’s almost like its own country.”
WBN: Obviously, Mexican players make up the bulk of the league, but you guys also have this unique draw for American players. It’s unique because American players can live in the United States, get paid in U.S. money and not have to, move to say, Veracruz. Tijuana kind of has the same deal, because players could from the U.S. could live in San Diego. Do you see any changing, anything changing with that?
CR: No, not at all. If anything, that kind of gives us a little bit of an advantage over other teams. If there’s a really good player, an American player, and we make an offer to him, and maybe Campeche for example makes an offer to him… Well, you know, with us you’re going to live in the US or in Campeche, who knows? So, if anything, that’s always been an advantage that we have.
Lately, that advantage has gone down a little because of the security issue in Nuevo Laredo. But you were here, you know that a lot of that is just like anything else. In any city that you go into a bad area of the city, you’re gonna get into trouble. If you’re looking for trouble, you’re gonna find it. In Nuevo Laredo, it’s the same thing, you know, if you mind your own business and you do what you’re going to do, what you have to do, then you’re fine.
In the in the past, this administration worked a lot on fear. So just… just don’t be afraid, you know? Let’s continue doing what we do and prove to everybody that …don’t be afraid, and just follow the rules. Are they trying to tighten the rules and make them different? Yes. But, you know, just stick to your guns and everything will be fine.
Photo: Uni-Trade Stadium in Laredo, Texas, feels like a typical minor league ballpark in the United States. (Photo: Leif Skodnick/World Baseball Network)
