Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum was quick to rush to the defense of two more governors from her party, MORENA, who sparked a new controversy after a series of reports revealed that they were the target of cartel investigations by the U.S. government and that they had their visas revoked. Both Mexican governors denied the reports.
During her morning news conference, Sheinbaum criticized the information leaked that led to a series of news reports claiming that Sonora’s Governor Alfonso Durazo and Tamaulipas Governor Americo Villarreal were under investigation for different links to drug cartels.
“What’s the intention of removing their visas and making it public?” Sheinbaum said during her news conference, trying to blame the far right for going after her government. “Let’s leak it … I said it before. It comes from a certain sector … Let’s scare the Mexicans we are going to take your visa.”
The most recent revelations first appeared in the Los Angeles Times and then in Mexico’s Zeta Tijuana, which reported that both governors had their visas revoked but had kept the documents on file since they had not tried to enter the country. The LA Times claimed that politicians can enter the country on parole if needed. That mention led to widespread speculation in Mexico that the two politicians might enter the U.S. and cooperate with authorities.
In a video, Villarreal denied the allegations in the reports and claimed that his visa was current.
The controversy around Durazo and Villarreal comes at a time when Sheinbaum has been dealing with another controversy, after the U.S. Department of Justice criminally indicted Sinaloa’s Governor Ruben Rocha Moya and nine of his closest allies more than a month ago, two of whom have since turned themselves in to U.S. authorities.
As Breitbart Texas has reported, the move has sparked considerable tension between Mexico and the U.S. government, as Sheinbaum has used her position to defend Rocha Moya, claiming there is no evidence of wrongdoing.
The three governors named in the various reports are close allies and friends of former Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who is Sheinbaum’s mentor and the founder of the MORENA Party.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.