Why a Mexico City nightclub charges Americans $300 just to enter

Federico Crespo, a Mexico City nightclub owner, said he was frustrated by U.S. actions toward Mexico and by the influx of American tourists and remote workers that raised rents and displaced locals. He responded by charging Americans nearly $300 to enter his bar, while Mexicans and other Latin Americans pay $14 and customers from Canada, China, and elsewhere pay $20. His door policy went viral, drawing both praise and anger, including death threats. The controversy reflects wider tensions between the United States and Mexico and growing resentment toward foreigners in Mexico City. A prior July 4 protest against “American imperialism” included vandalism and anti-foreigner slogans, and similar protests have occurred in other global cities facing mass tourism and high housing costs. Crespo said his pricing is not hate or discrimination but a critique of colonialism and gentrification.

"Crespo was also tired of the American tourists and remote workers who had flooded his native Mexico City, driving up rents, displacing locals and altering everything from the city's nightlife to its culinary scene. The owner of a popular dance club, Crespo, 39, wanted to call attention to what he saw as a multitude of U.S.-related woes. So he started charging Americans nearly $300 to enter his bar."

"Mexicans and other Latin Americans pay $14. Customers from Canada, China and anywhere else pay $20. The door policy at Japan nightclub has gone viral, triggering anger and even death threats, while also earning Crespo widespread praise. The controversy spotlights mounting geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and Mexico as well as growing backlash against what some see as an invasion of Americans and other foreigners in Mexico City."

"A July 4 protest last year against "American imperialism" drew hundreds of marchers, some of whom turned to vandalism, smashing windows of more than a dozen storefronts, including a bank and a Starbucks. Some chanted "gringo go home" in English and scrawled "Kill a gringo" graffiti on walls. The march echoed demonstrations against mass tourism and high housing costs in other cities across the globe, including Barcelona and Berlin."

"Crespo said he didn't support the xenophobia on display at last year's demonstration, and said his surcharge on Americans is not a condemnation of individuals but a critique of broader systems such as colonialism and gentrification. "It is not discrimination and it has nothing to do with hate," he said. "It's a protest.""

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