Sheinbaum Accuses U.S. Sectors of Interfering in Mexican Politics

Overview

• President Claudia Sheinbaum publicly accused sectors in the United States, including extreme-right groups and elements of the U.S. government, of running media and disinformation campaigns to influence Mexico’s internal affairs and future elections, and she said she does not believe President Trump personally coordinates those actions.
• The dispute sharpened after the U.S. Department of Justice filed charges or sought extraditions for ten Mexican officials, including the governor of Sinaloa, a move Mexico characterized as unprecedented interference when presented without public evidence.
• Sheinbaum cited an episode in which two CIA agents died in a car crash in Chihuahua and said the agents were not authorized to be in Mexico, using the case to demand that foreign intelligence operations respect Mexican sovereignty.
• Mexico’s Congress approved a constitutional amendment that allows annulment of elections on grounds of foreign interference, a step the government says defends sovereignty while opposition leaders warn it could be used as a political pretext; Sheinbaum’s approval rating remains high.
• The row risks straining long-standing security cooperation against organized crime because it turns judicial and intelligence actions into diplomatic flashpoints and raises the stakes for both countries ahead of coming election cycles.