Trump administration to target corruption in Mexico

LOS MOCHIS, Mexico — U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson traveled to the northwestern state of Sinaloa last week for what appeared to be a routine ceremony: the groundbreaking of a factory near the city of Los Mochis.

But sources familiar with bilateral relations said his comments were part of a broader, more provocative agenda. Sources said they were celebrating the launch:

It is the story of the Trump administration’s sweeping anti-corruption campaign targeting Mexican officials suspected of ties to organized crime.

Such pressure could shake bilateral relations at a crucial moment when U.S., Mexican and Canadian negotiators sit down to review the North American free trade agreement, a cornerstone of Mexico’s export-dependent economy.

Thursday’s event was to celebrate the construction of a billion-dollar methanol plant in Mexico, one of the largest private U.S. investments in recent history.

Addressing a meeting of company executives, investors and government officials in the Pacific coast city of Los Mochis. Johnson began his remarks by introducing the project and emphasizing the importance of US-Mexico relations.

“The Pacifico Mexinol project represents a $3.3 billion investment during its construction and development,” Johnson said. “It will be the largest ultra-low-emission methanol plant in the world.”

But then Johnson turned to corruption, a sensitive issue in Mexico.

“Corruption not only slows down progress, it distorts it. It increases costs, weakens competition and erodes the trust on which markets depend. This is not a victimless problem,” Johnson said. “And that’s a direct impediment to growth, to justice, to opportunity, to the long-term success of projects like this.”

The ambassador then delivered a not-so-subtle message: Mexico needs to do something about its epidemic of crooked governance, from street cops to local mayors and governors to federal lawmakers all on cartel payrolls, if leaders want to secure financial stability for the country of 133 million people. He made it clear that the United States was going after allegedly corrupt Mexican politicians.

“Investing is like water,” Johnson said. “It flows when conditions are suitable, and dries when conditions are not.”

In closing, the ambassador noted that the U.S.-Mexico trade agreement “requires our governments to criminalize bribery and corruption and implement codes of conduct for public officials.” “We may see significant action on this front soon. So stay tuned.”

These pointed words reflected the magnitude of the anti-corruption initiative. The campaign is expected to go far beyond traditional enforcement (revoking visas for people suspected of collaborating with the cartels).

The crackdown this time could include the indictment in U.S. federal courts of Mexican politicians, including members of the ruling Morena party, a political movement founded on a “no corruption” platform. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters.

Official responses to Johnson’s remarks have been muted.

Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum laughed when asked about Johnson’s remarks at a morning news conference Friday. “That’s exactly what we’re working on,” he said, referring to the ambassador’s anti-corruption instructions. “The USA should do the same”

U.S. prosecutors pursuing such an initiative could draw on a large pool of potential informants.

Scores of former cartel agents are languishing in U.S. custody, including the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the legendary founder of the Sinaloa mob. Many are believed to be keen to become “informants” against former accomplices, including crooked politicians and police officers.

Johnson chose Sinaloa state, the base of the Sinaloa cartel, one of the world’s most notorious drug-trafficking conglomerates, to deliver his message.

Like other criminal organizations, the cartel has long oiled the wheels of corruption with bribes. Experts say the cartel has hundreds, perhaps thousands, of politicians and lawmen on its payroll.

The message that Washington would no longer accept business as usual was a stark warning to Sheinbaum, a longtime academic and U.S.-educated scholar who is by all accounts free from the taint of corruption. But the same cannot be said for the dominant Morena bloc in Sinaloa and across the country.

Known for her masterful handling of Trump, Sheinbaum must walk a fine line between appeasing Trump and resisting pressure from his political base in Morena — especially if leading politicians are caught up in a U.S.-led anti-corruption whirlwind.

Already, the State Department has revoked the visas of several Morena lawmakers, including the governor of Baja California.

Among those whose U.S. visas were revoked was Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya, a Morena loyalist who has repeatedly denied cartel connections, sources said. It was canceled last year.

The septuagenarian governor has managed to survive various political scandals thanks to one important fact, according to Mexican observers: his long-standing friendship with former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Sheinbaum’s predecessor and mentor.

Rocha Moya is one of a number of senior politicians who have been protected because of their relationships with Lopez Obrador.

Among the biggest threats to Rocha Moya’s political survival were outcries over the 2024 shooting death of Héctor Melesio Cuén Ojeda, a former MP and university president who was once his chief political rival.

The crime remains unsolved. Mexican federal prosecutors concluded that the state’s investigation into the shooting was a sham. According to prosecutors, the inconsistencies include: State investigators created a fake video to conceal where, when and how the victim was killed.

The resulting turmoil forced Sinaloa’s attorney general to resign. But his boss, Rocha Moya, remained in office despite calls to resign. Cuén denied any involvement in Ojeda’s death.

Rocha Moya was scheduled to make statements with the United States on Thursday. ambassador at the groundbreaking event.

But before Johnson arrived, protesters descended on the venue, accusing the governor, who had already arrived, of being “corrupt.” “I’m on your side,” Rocha Moya assured demonstrators, adding that he would stay to talk to them rather than attend the ceremony, which was postponed due to the protest.

A hastily prepared hotel conference room in Los Mochis was used for the ceremony. Speaking in both Spanish and English, Johnson made his short speech here.

This article was published alongside: Puente News collaborator, A nonprofit bilingual newsroom covering stories from Mexico and the U.S.-Mexico border. Fisher is a special correspondent. Los Angeles Times writer Patrick J. McDonnell contributed to this report.