Mexico sues Google for changing 'Gulf of Mexico' to 'Gulf of America' after Trump's order

Mexico has filed a lawsuit against Google after it changed the label for the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America on its maps platform to match U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order to amend the name of the body of water, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced Friday.

Sheinbaum said at a press briefing that the lawsuit had been filed against the tech giant, without providing additional details.

The lawsuit comes after Sheinbaum threatened in February to sue Google for the name change.

MEXICAN PRESIDENT SIGNALS POSSIBLE LAWSUIT AGAINST GOOGLE OVER GULF OF AMERICA NAME CHANGE

"We are going to wait. We are already seeing, observing what this would mean from the perspective of legal advice, but we hope that they will make a revision," Sheinbaum said at the time.

Mexico’s Foreign Relations Ministry has also previously sent letters to Google urging it not to relabel the oceanic basin as the Gulf of America.

Trump signed an order on his first day back in the White House in January to rename the northern part of the gulf to the Gulf of America. The body of water has shared borders between the United States and Mexico, and Trump’s order only carries authority within the U.S.

Mexico has argued that the Gulf of America label should only apply to the part over the U.S. continental shelf. The U.S. has control over about 46% of the gulf, Mexico controls about 49% and Cuba controls about 5%, according to Sovereign Limits, a database of international boundaries.

"What Google is doing here is changing the name of the continental shelf of Mexico and Cuba, which has nothing to do with Trump’s decree, which applied only to the U.S. continental shelf," Sheinbaum said in February.

The gulf appears in Google Maps as the Gulf of America within the U.S., as the Gulf of Mexico within Mexico and Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America) everywhere else. It had been called the Gulf of Mexico for more than 400 years.

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Google Maps began using Gulf of America for users in the U.S. shortly after Trump's order, citing its "longstanding practice" of following the U.S. government’s lead on these matters. In cases where official names vary between countries, Google’s policy says users will see their official local names.

In February, the Mexican president shared a response from Google's vice president of government affairs and public policy, Cris Turner, who said the company would not change its policy after Trump's order.

Sheinbaum’s announcement of the lawsuit comes after House Republicans passed the Gulf of America Act in a 211-206 vote, marking the first step in codifying Trump's order. The legislation now heads to the Senate.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Google for comment. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Texas pushes back against foreign land grab with 'strongest bill in the nation' against China, Iran, Russia

Texas lawmakers are charging ahead with what they call the nation’s strongest legislative effort yet to block hostile foreign powers from purchasing land in the Lone Star State. 

Championed by Republican state Rep. Cole Hefner and state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, Senate Bill 17 (SB17) is designed to stop governments and entities tied to countries like China, Iran, North Korea and Russia from gaining a foothold on Texas soil.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Hefner described SB17 as "model legislation" aimed at shutting down land purchases that pose a national security threat. 

"This bill is about actions and affiliations, not race, not nationality," Hefner said. "If you’re acting on behalf of a hostile foreign adversary, we’re going to take that land back."

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The bill is in direct response to real-world events. 

Hefner cited the 2021 case of a retired Chinese general acquiring over 140,000 acres near Laughlin Air Force Base. 

"We've [also] seen the attempt of foreign actors or hostile foreign adversaries to buy land close to food processing plants," Hefner said. "And it's just something that we have found the more we dig into it, the more we find that there's a lot of things we don't know and a lot of vulnerabilities that are out there."

The bill prohibits entities and individuals affiliated with governments designated as national security threats, based on the U.S. Director of National Intelligence’s annual assessments, from purchasing real estate if those purchases pose risks to public health or safety. 

The law empowers the state's attorney general to investigate, block and even reverse such land deals through court-ordered receivership.

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Under SB17, "real property" includes agricultural, commercial, industrial, and residential land as well as mines, minerals, and timber. The law includes key exemptions for U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and property intended as a personal homestead.

"The strong points of our bill is that it can apply to anyone if we can prove they're acting as an agent," said Hefner. "So even if they're from a friendly country, but they're actually on behalf of a foreign adversary, then they will be subject to the bill."

The bill gives the attorney general investigative powers, and authority to appoint receivers to manage or sell properties acquired in violation of the law.

Hefner pushed back hard on critics who claim the bill is xenophobic. "This has nothing to do with skin color or ethnicity," he said. "It’s about protecting Texans and Americans from foreign espionage and influence."

He also stressed that SB17 should not be seen as a partisan move. "It shouldn't be a partisan issue. This is about national security. This is about keeping our citizens safe," said Hefner. "It's not about Republican or Democrat, it's not liberal or conservative. It is just taking care of our people. 

"And I believe that's the, you know, the number one responsibility of the government is to make sure that people can live free and safe in their state."

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SB17 is set to take effect Sept. 1. Hefner said he hopes the legislation sparks a nationwide effort. 

"We need to wake up," he said. "This is about securing the homeland, not playing politics."

Fox News Digital's Nick Butler contributed to this report.

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