Alonso Ancira’s Texas Appearance Reignites AHMSA Debt and Legal Scrutiny

Former Altos Hornos de México (AHMSA) owner Alonso Ancira was photographed in San Antonio, Texas, where he now lives. A capture warrant was reactivated in January 2024 after he failed to meet a reparations agreement with Mexico’s Fiscalía General de la República (FGR). Under the 2021 settlement Ancira pledged to pay $216.7 million for the overpriced sale of Pemex’s Agronitrogenados plant during the Enrique Peña Nieto administration, but he has only paid about $104 million, leaving roughly $112 million unpaid.

AHMSA remains burdened by about 61 billion pesos of debt to creditors, suppliers, workers and banks, a legacy of the 1999 suspension of payments that once represented the largest corporate debt crisis in Latin America. The steelmaker’s assets are slated for a second auction, with eight to ten domestic and foreign bidders under consideration. Labor groups have condemned Ancira’s comfortable lifestyle abroad while thousands of workers face job insecurity.

Ancira holds dual Mexican‑U.S. citizenship, was previously linked to Israel and Jordan in mining projects, and his earlier escape to Israel in 2004 followed fraud investigations. The renewed legal pressure and pending auction keep the AHMSA saga in the spotlight of Mexican business and labor circles.