Sheinbaum accuses the U.S. of meddling in Mexican affairs
MEXICO CITY — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday again accused the United States of interfering in Mexico’s internal affairs after The Times published a report about two Mexican governors from her party who had their U.S. visas revoked amid criminal investigations into their possible ties to organized crime.
Speaking at the daily press conference, Sheinbaum said it was up to governors Alfonso Durazo of Sonora and Américo Villarreal Anaya of Tamaulipas to respond to the allegations against them.
But he questioned the logic of the US investigations, which are part of the Trump administration’s sweeping campaign against senior Mexican officials suspected of aiding the cartels.
“What is the purpose behind canceling visas and, moreover, disclosing this information to the public?” he asked. “What is the underlying cause?”
The Ministry of Justice announced in April extensive criminal charges against leading members of Sheinbaum’s Morena party, including Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya. He and nine other current and former officials were charged with helping the Sinaloa cartel smuggle drugs into the United States in exchange for millions of dollars in bribes.
Sheinbaum rejected a U.S. request for his government to extradite Rocha Moya to the U.S., saying Mexican prosecutors would review the case against him, and accused the Trump administration of meddling in Mexican politics.
“When abroad dictates who is guilty and who is not, when they try to put pressure on our institutions… we are no longer talking about cooperation, we are talking about intervention,” he said. “We do not accept intervention”
The Times investigation cited sources who said Durazo, 71, and Villareal, 68, had their U.S. visas revoked due to criminal investigations. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters.
Since the visas were revoked, both are recipients of Significant Public Interest parole, which can be used to allow individuals to enter the United States to cooperate with law enforcement, sources said. The program allows noncitizens to testify before a grand jury to mitigate the consequences of actual or pending charges against themselves or others.
In a statement to The Times, Villarreal denied any links to organized crime, saying that as a public official he had always acted transparently, responsibly and lawfully.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Durazo said his visa had not been revoked, he was not aware of an investigation into his actions and that he had not committed any crime. He said so honestly, “I’m almost sweating from the holy water.”
Durazo accused The Times’ report of being “a deliberate effort to politically undermine a progressive project” and echoed Sheinbaum’s comments over the weekend that the Trump administration was trying to influence politics in Mexico.
At a news conference Wednesday, Sheinbaum said he was “skeptical” about the lawsuit against the governors.
Investigating active government officials in Mexico is a new strategy for the United States, which has in the past avoided targeting incumbent leaders in allied countries with criminal investigations because of the obvious political ramifications.
The Trump administration, which declared many Mexican cartels as terrorist groups last year, adopted this approach, putting new pressure on the Morena party, which came to power with the promise of fighting corruption, and further strained relations between the two countries ahead of the review of the free trade agreement with Canada next month.
This article was co-published by the Los Angeles Times and the Puente News Collaborative, a nonprofit bilingual newsroom covering stories from Mexico and the U.S.-Mexico border.
