Mexican president didn't send rescue teams to Texas after deadly flooding
The rumor gained significant traction after actor Viola Davis shared an Instagram post (archived) that featured a photograph of Sheinbaum alongside text praising her supposed decision to help. "Much respect Madam President," the caption read.
(Instagram user @violadavis)
The graphic, which gained over 395,000 likes as of this writing, included the lines (emphasis added):
Mexico's president just sent rescue teams to Texas. After all the hate. After all the anti-immigrant policies. After all the racism toward brown people. She still helped. She still showed up. She still did the right thing. To a red state that wouldn't do the same for her. That's leadership. That's power. That's a woman.
The image originated from a Threads post (archived) by the user @swagrman, whose username appeared on the graphic Davis shared.
The claim spread across platforms including Instagram, Bluesky, Facebook, Threads, X and TikTok, as well as in Spanish-language posts.
In short, while Mexico did assist in the flood response in Texas in early July 2025, there was no evidence that Sheinbaum ordered or coordinated the deployment of rescue teams. The personnel who assisted in search and rescue efforts in Kerr County were volunteers from the Civil Protection and Fire Department of Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, and the nonprofit organization Fundación 911. Their deployment was made independently, in response to a request from the U.S.-based organization Texas EquuSearch, and was not coordinated by the Mexican federal government.
While Sheinbaum acknowledged and praised their efforts during a July 7, 2025, news conference, she didn't claim to have organized or authorized their deployment. The Mexican government's assistance focused on consular support for the roughly 30 Mexican nationals affected by the flooding.
Despite claims crediting Sheinbaum with sending rescue teams to Texas, the aid that arrived from Mexico came from a local emergency unit in Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, a Mexican border city across from Del Rio, Texas.
(Google Maps)
On July 6, 2025, the Acuña's Civil Protection and Fire Department (Dirección de Protección Civil y Bomberos de Acuña) announced on Facebook that its water rescue team, along with firefighters and members of Fundación 911, departed to assist with flood search efforts in Kerrville, Texas. According to the post, the team responded to a request from Texas EquuSearch, a U.S.-based volunteer search-and-rescue organization. The volunteers worked in coordination with local U.S. authorities to help locate missing persons along the flooded Guadalupe River.
Fundación 911 also shared several updates about its involvement in the Texas flood response on its official Facebook page.
Sheinbaum did not take credit for sending rescue teams to Texas. When asked about the viral Viola Davis post during her July 7 news conference (at about 1:11:23 into the official livestream), she clarified that the aid came from volunteer firefighters in Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, who traveled to Texas independently.
"Honor to whom honor is due," Sheinbaum said, naming several firefighters and acknowledging Acuña's mayor, Emilio de Hoyos, along with members of Fundación 911. "They truly deserve our recognition," she added. Sheinbaum also explained that Mexico's Foreign Affairs Ministry was in contact with both the Texas state government and the U.S. Department of State to offer further assistance.
When the reporter read Davis' Instagram post aloud, Sheinbaum responded, "That is the people of Mexico. That is our culture," adding that "Mexicans are supportive and fraternal, always. And what's reflected in firefighters going and risking their lives, as they also did in California to save others, is the essence of the Mexican people. It's humanism."
Therefore, at no point did Sheinbaum claim to have ordered or facilitated the deployment of the rescue team. Her comments made it clear that the response came from a local initiative. Additionally, a search of Sheinbaum's official social media profiles, including X, showed no statements suggesting she directed or announced the rescue effort.
The official response from the Mexican government focused on consular support for its citizens affected by the disaster.
On July 5, the Foreign Affairs Ministry (SRE) expressed condolences and announced that the Consulate General in San Antonio was monitoring the situation and visiting shelters to assist Mexican nationals, reiterating it on July 7. During her July 7 news conference, Sheinbaum stated that the Foreign Affairs Ministry was assisting at least 30 Mexican nationals impacted by the flooding in Kerr County.
U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson wrote on X that "Mexican K9 teams, trained with U.S. support for law enforcement missions, are now in Texas helping families find missing loved ones. We remain committed to working side by side with Mexico in moments like this." He also thanked the Government of Mexico "for their solidarity and support following the floods in Texas." Similarly, Tammy Bruce, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, thanked Mexico for "lending a hand with recovery after the devastating Texas flood."
However, these statements referred to diplomatic efforts and local volunteer assistance, with no mention of rescue teams sent by Sheinbaum.
We've investigated multiple rumors related to the July 2025 floods in Texas, including a claim that a Houston pediatric practice fired Dr. Christina Propst after she posted online that Texas flood victims in July 2025 were supporters of President Donald Trump who got "what they voted for." We also debunked the claim that Rainmaker Technology Corporation's cloud seeding mission caused deadly flooding in parts of Texas over Fourth of July weekend.
- YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu-eVnDcPRQ. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
---. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0szhoAXdFOI. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
Loe, Megan. "Unraveling Claims Cloud Seeding Caused Deadly Texas Floods in 2025." Snopes, 8 Jul. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/rainmaker-cloud-seeding-texas-floods/.
Texas EquuSearch Search And Recovery Non-Profit. 26 May 2017, https://texasequusearch.org/.
Texas Floods Articles | Snopes.Com. https://www.snopes.com/tag/2025_texas_floods/. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
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