Mexico Sues Google Over Gulf of Mexico Name Change

Mexico has sued Google for updating its maps platforms, renaming the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.” The name change followed an edict from President Trump and appears only for users in the United States.

The body of water has been called the Gulf of Mexico for over 400 years.

Recent polls, including one conducted by the conservative Fox News network, showed that almost 70% of U.S. voters opposed renaming the Gulf, making it one of the least popular actions of his busy first 100 days.

“It’s easy to mock this legislation because it’s so inane and embarrassing,” Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.) said during debate on the measure this week. “This may be the dumbest bill brought to the floor during the six years I’ve served in this Congress.”

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced Friday that the lawsuit was filed, but she did not provide further details.

This legal action fulfills Sheinbaum’s February threat shortly after Trump signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico on his first day in office. Following the order, the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) made the change official, prompting Google Maps to update its labeling system.

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

Currently, U.S. users see only “Gulf of America” on Google Maps, while users in Mexico see “Gulf of Mexico.” Users elsewhere see the combined label “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America).” Apple Maps also made the change, but that company was not named in the suit.

In response to Trump, Sheinbaum has cheekily suggested calling the United States “América Mexicana” – Mexican America, pointing to a map dating back to before 1848, when the United States seized one-third of her country.

Sheinbaum’s announcement follows House Republicans’ advancement of legislation to codify the executive order. The Gulf of America Act cleared the House in a narrow 211-206 vote and now heads to the Senate, where it faces almost certain rejection. The bill would require support from at least seven Democrats.

The measure was sponsored by right-wing Georgia lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene and passed nearly along party lines. All Democrats opposed it, and almost every Republican, with the exception of vulnerable Nebraska representative Don Bacon, voted in favor.

Greene lauded the measure ahead of the vote Thursday morning, calling renaming the Gulf of Mexico “one of the most important things that we can do this Congress,” while claiming that Democrats are catering to Mexican cartels by opposing the name change.

“This is such an important thing to do for the American people,” Greene said. “The American people deserve pride in their country, and they deserve pride in the waters that we own, that we protect with our military and our Coast Guard.”

Renaming the Gulf of Mexico: Only the Beginning

Trump has suggested extending similar naming changes to other bodies of water. During an upcoming Saudi Arabia visit, he reportedly plans to announce that the U.S. will refer to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf or Gulf of Arabia. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi responded by calling these “absurd rumors” and warning such a move would “bring the wrath of all Iranians.”

When Trump took office, he also ordered changing Alaska’s Denali mountain back to Mount McKinley. While the executive order only carries authority within the U.S., and Mexico and other countries are not required to recognize the name changes, the Trump administration has pushed for wider adoption of the Gulf of America name.

The Trump administration recently restricted Associated Press reporters’ access to some White House spaces after the outlet chose not to follow the name change. However, a federal judge ordered the government to restore access to their reporters.