On Sunday (March 19), Republican Senators Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville, both from Alabama, slammed the reported “seizure” of a port facility on the Mexican coast, headquartered in the Yellowhammer state.
According to reports from Bloomberg, Vulcan Materials, a U.S. construction company based in Birmingham, Alabama, alleges armed gangs in Mexico took over the dock.
In a statement late on Sunday, Britt’s office revealed that the dock was still “under military occupation.”
In her statement, Britt condemns the “forcible seizure of private property,” describing it as “unacceptable” and “unlawful” and expressing that the Mexican presidential administration should feel shame given they “would rather confiscate American assets than… fentanyl” which kills hundreds of Americans a day.
Britt also called on President Joe Biden to take action because “the ramifications of this illicit seizure extend into the United States.”
Britt added that Biden should raise the issue with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and reassure the American public that the seizure “will not be tolerated.”
While condemning the seizure, both Tuberville and Britt shared security footage of Fox News purportedly showing Mexican forces taking over the Vulcan facility.
Tuberville echoed Britt’s calls that Biden take action, explaining that the Mexican government was “exploiting President Biden’s weakness.”
Taking to Twitter, Tuberville shared that Vulcan Materials Company had been operating a limestone quarry in Mexico which creates “good jobs” in Alabama and Mexico.
However, he added that despite the job creation, the Mexican government continued to undermine “Vulcan’s ability to operate in Mexico.”
According to Reuters, Vulcan has been squabbling with López Obrador regarding its operation in Mexico for some time, with the Mexican government shutting down the company’s facility last May.