Mexico has filed a lawsuit against Google. The decision comes after Google renamed the “Gulf of Mexico” to “Gulf of America” on its maps. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced the legal action on Friday during a press briefing. However, she did not share more details.

Trump's Order Sparked the Dispute

Earlier this year, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order. On his first day back in office in January, he renamed the northern part of the gulf as the “Gulf of America.” The gulf borders both Mexico and the U.S. However, Trump’s order only applies to the American continental shelf.

Shortly after the order, Google changed the map label for U.S. users. The tech company followed its usual policy. It said it had a “longstanding practice” of reflecting official U.S. government naming decisions on its platform.

Mexico’s Response

Mexico quickly opposed the change. Sheinbaum warned in February that the country might sue. At the time, she said, “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.”

Additionally, Mexico’s Foreign Relations Ministry sent letters to Google. Officials urged the company not to relabel the gulf. Despite this, Google kept the new label in place.

According to Sovereign Limits, a boundary database, the U.S. controls 46% of the gulf. Mexico controls 49%, and Cuba has 5%. Based on this, Sheinbaum argued that Trump's order affects only the U.S. portion. She said, “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.”

How Google Displays the Gulf Now

Currently, the name of the gulf changes depending on the user's location. In the U.S., Google Maps shows “Gulf of America.” In Mexico, it still shows “Gulf of Mexico.” Elsewhere, the label reads “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America).” This shift caused public concern in Mexico.

In February, Sheinbaum shared a response from Google. Cris Turner, Google’s vice president of government affairs, said the company would not reverse its decision.

U.S. Lawmakers Back the Name Change

Meanwhile, House Republicans passed the “Gulf of America Act” in a 211–206 vote. This bill supports Trump’s renaming order. Now, the legislation goes to the Senate for approval.

As a result, Sheinbaum’s government decided to act. She strongly opposed the name change. She stated, “under no circumstance will Mexico accept the renaming of a geographic zone within its own territory and under its jurisdiction.”