Thousands of Mexican citizens living in the U.S. lined up to vote at the country’s consulates on Sunday, participating in a historic vote that is likely to elect the country’s first female

While the United States has been grappling with a domestic health crisis due to the amount of fentanyl on its streets, Mexico faces increasing cartel-linked violence – including in the run-up to the election which has been marred by dozens of assassination attempts and other political violence.

"Mexico's president has done some of the heavy lifting for hard-liner U.S. immigration policy," one expert told Newsweek.