Carlos Alberto de Icaza González

Carlos de Icaza entered Mexico's foreign service through its competitive examination and rose to ambassadorial rank in 1982. Trained in international relations at UNAM, he combined embassy appointments with senior administrative and policy work in the Foreign Ministry. Before Washington, he represented Mexico in Ecuador, Argentina, Belgium and Luxembourg, and Japan, and served as undersecretary responsible for Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region. ¹

During his Washington ambassadorship, de Icaza worked with Congress, the White House, business organizations, and Mexican American groups on immigration and the wider bilateral relationship. In a June 2006 interview, he emphasized Mexico's democratic changes and the value of lawful cross border commerce. Senator John Cornyn described their joint travel and discussions as useful in understanding immigration issues, even where their policy positions differed. ²

De Icaza later served as ambassador to France and as Mexico's representative to UNESCO. From 2013 to 2018, he was undersecretary of foreign affairs and Mexico's G20 sherpa. He received the rank of ambassador emeritus in 2015 and also wrote La diplomacia moderna, a book on diplomatic practice. ¹