Latest news with #Sheinbaum
Los Angeles Times
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Case of ‘El Chapo' son cooperating with U.S. prosecutors roils Mexico
MEXICO CITY — A bitter public dispute between Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and the New York lawyer representing a son of drug kingpin Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán has raised speculation here that the deal-seeking scion of the onetime Sinaloa cartel leader may expose corrupt Mexican officials. On Tuesday, Sheinbaum said she had filed a defamation complaint in Mexico against Jeffrey Lichtman, the high-profile attorney representing Ovidio Guzmán López, who last week pleaded guilty in federal court in Chicago to fentanyl trafficking and other crimes. He has agreed to cooperate with U.S. prosecutors in a bid to reduce a potential life sentence. In comments after the court hearing, Lichtman labeled as 'absurd' Sheinbaum's repeated contentions that Washington should coordinate with Mexico on the case — especially if, as is widely expected, Guzmán López spills the beans on alleged ties between Mexican officials and cartels. In an incendiary post on X, Litchman assailed the Mexican leader's 'corrupt office and government' and charged that Sheinbaum 'acts more as the public relations arm of a drug trafficking organization than as the honest leader that the Mexican people deserve.' That sparked a flurry of denunciations from allies in Sheinbaum's ruling Morena bloc, which dominates Mexican politics. Ernestina Godoy Ramos, Sheinbaum's official counsel, labeled Lichtman's comments 'grotesque and unforgivable, breaking the ethical and legal limits of the profession.' Declared Sheinbaum: 'I'm not going to establish a dialogue with a lawyer for [a] narco-trafficker.' Lichtman also represented El Chapo — now serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison in Colorado — and is the attorney for Joaquín Guzmán López, another son of the drug lord. Like his brother, he is in U.S. custody and faces drug smuggling and other charges. El Chapo's sons, known as Los Chapitos, or the 'Little Chapos,' assumed responsibility for cartel dealings after their father's arrest in 2016, prosecutors say. Guzmán López was extradited to the United States in 2023 after being nabbed following a shootout outside Culiacán, the Sinaloa state capital, that left almost two dozen people dead, including 10 Mexican soldiers. Two other sons of El Chapo remain in Mexico directing cartel operations, according to U.S. officials. Behind the nasty contretemps between the New York barrister and la presidenta is a widespread sense here that Guzmán López is poised to dish a mound of dirt about Mexican politicians on the payroll of the Sinaloa cartel. He may have already done so. What else, political observers ask, could explain the special treatment that members of El Chapo's family received in the spring? In May, U.S. authorities escorted 17 members of El Chapo's extended family — including his ex-wife, the mother of Ovidio and Joaquín — into San Diego from Tijuana. Although the U.S. Justice Department declined to comment, Mexico's top law enforcement official said the move was probably part of a cooperation deal between Guzmán López and Washington. 'He [Ovidio] must be singing,' said Guillermo Valdés Castellanos, a former intelligence chief in the administration of former President Felipe Calderón, a political adversary of Sheinbaum. 'I think it's part of a very clear strategy by the government of Donald Trump to pressure Mexico … to take action against the profound links between organized crime and and Mexican politics.' While frequently praising Sheinbaum, Trump has denounced the 'intolerable alliance' between Mexico's government and organized crime. Trump has imposed punishing tariffs on Mexico in what he calls an effort to shut down fentanyl trafficking. Though critics have called Trump's characterizations overblown, the narco-government collaboration in Mexico goes back decades. Calderón's top security official, Genaro García Luna, was convicted of taking millions of dollars in bribes from Sinaloa cartel traffickers and is serving a 38-year U.S. prison sentence. Sheinbaum and her political mentor, former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, hailed the U.S. prosecution of García Luna — a case that exposed deep corruption among their political rivals. But the tables may now be turning. There have been no public disclosures about what Guzmán López may be secretly revealing to U.S. prosecutors. But speculation in Mexico has focused on the suspected crookedness of so-called narco-governors serving under the banner of Sheinbaum's dominant Morena political bloc. None have been charged. But even more explosive, experts say, would be any fresh allegations against López Obrador, Sheinbaum's predecessor and the founder of Morena. During his six-year term, López Obrador repeatedly denied unconfirmed reports of having received political donations from people tied to organized crime. By all accounts, any public airing of new accusations against López Obrador from U.S. authorities could trigger a political earthquake in Mexico. 'There is total uncertainty and fear in the presidency,' said José Luis Montenegro, a Mexican journalist who wrote a book on Los Chapitos. 'The politicians of Morena must be trembling.' Sheinbaum has won widespread acclaim for her 'coolheaded' approach to Trump provocations on issues such as tariffs, immigration and drug smuggling. But the Mexican president has sharply rebuked U.S. prosecutors' apparent deal-making intentions with El Chapo's son. She has accused U.S. authorities of hypocrisy — seeking cooperation from Guzmán López at a time when the Trump administration has designated the Sinaloa cartel and other Mexican crime groups as terrorist organizations. 'So where is their position of 'not to negotiate with terrorist groups'?' Sheinbaum asked this month. Mexican leaders are still outraged about what they call the U.S.-orchestrated kidnapping almost a year ago of Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada — co-founder of El Chapo's Sinaloa cartel — who is now also in custody in the United States. Mexican officials suspect that U.S. authorities recruited Joaquín Guzmán López to abduct El Mayo, bundle him into a private plane and fly him to an airfield outside El Paso, where U.S. agents arrested both El Mayo and Joaquín Guzmán López. Washington has never clarified its role in the sensational case. The apparent betrayal of El Mayo set off a civil war in the cartel — pitting El Mayo loyalists against Los Chapitos — that has cost hundreds of lives in Sinaloa state. Now, three top accused Sinaloa cartel capos sit in U.S. custody, and at least one, Guzmán López, appears keen to make a deal that could expose a web of official corruption, roiling Mexican politics. Special correspodent Cecilia Sánchez Vidal contributed to this report.
Newsweek
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Mexico Considering Legal Action Against ICE Over Migrant's Death
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that her administration is considering filing a formal complaint in U.S. courts over immigration raids in the United States. It comes after a Mexican national without legal status in the U.S. died ater he fell from a building roof while attempting to flee an immigration operation in California. Jaime Alanis Garcia, a cannabis farmworker who was injured during a chaotic immigration raid by federal authorities in Southern California, died Saturday, according to his family. His death came days after he fell about 30 feet during a raid by federal immigration agents at Glass House Farms in Camarillo, California. "The family is being supported, the family is being contacted and we are also looking at the possibility of reporting there because it is unacceptable, it is being reviewed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Tuesday. Sheinbaum added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is reviewing the legal avenues for filing the complaint. "The possibility of denouncing there is being seen because it is unacceptable (...) There cannot be another case like these and that is why the complaint has to be filed in the courts there," she said. Sheinbaum also said that 1,427 people have been deported to Mexico since immigration raids ramped up in the United States after Trump returned to the White House. This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Mexico pledges action should U.S. talks fail by August tariff deadline
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Tuesday said Mexico will take action if an agreement with Washington regarding new tariffs is not reached by the August 1 deadline set by her U.S. counterpart Donald Trump. Trump on Saturday threatened to impose a 30% tariff on imports from Mexico starting on August 1, claiming the United States' top trading partner had not done enough to stop drug cartels. "We hope to reach an agreement ... if an agreement is not reached on August 1, we will be informing of other actions," said Sheinbaum. Sheinbaum also said she hoped to announce measures next week in conjunction with tomato producers related to Washington's announcement on Monday that it will begin charging a duty of about 17% on imports of fresh tomatoes from Mexico. "We think we can reach a deal. But we have to prepare for every scenario ... We have to have alternatives," Sheibaum said. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Arab Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Arab Times
Mexican president urges US to do more to curb drug, arms trafficking amid tariff tensions
MEXICO CITY, July 15, (Xinhua): Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Monday called on the United States to do more to curb drug and arms trafficking across the border as Washington threatens tariff hikes on Mexico. US President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to impose a 30-percent tariff on Mexican imports starting from Aug 1 in a letter addressed to Sheinbaum, accusing Mexico of failing to stop drug trafficking and illegal immigration to the United States. Sheinbaum on Monday hit back at the criticism, calling on the United States to redouble its efforts to curb drug and arms trafficking on its own turf. "We do our part and they also have to do their part," she said at her daily press conference."There is collaboration. There is coordination." Sheinbaum noted she hopes to reach a deal with the United States to avoid Trump's proposed 30 percent tariff. "We believe ... that we will reach an agreement with the United States government -- and that we will, of course, reach better terms," Sheinbaum said. Mexico sent a government delegation to the United States on Friday to begin talks with Washington on trade, energy, immigration and crime. Sheinbaum said she would meet later in the day with Mexican Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard and other representatives involved in the talks, noting that any deal with Washington will be based on respect for Mexico's sovereignty "as a non-negotiable principle."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Mexico expects US trade deal shortly; EU mulls retaliatory tariffs
Following President Donald Trump's announcement on Saturday to impose a 30% tariff on imports from Mexico, the Mexican government said they are working with U.S. to secure a trade deal before the Aug. 1 deadline. Meanwhile, European Union (EU) officials warned on Monday that retaliatory tariffs are still on the table if they cannot reach a trade deal with the U.S. before the deadline. The EU commission, which negotiates trade deals on behalf of its 27 member states, delayed its own planned counter tariffs on U.S. goods that were set to begin on Monday to Aug. 1. In 2024, U.S. commerce with the EU reached $975.9 billion, according to the U.S. Trade Representative. 'The EU remains ready to react and that includes robust and proportionate countermeasures if required and there was a strong feeling in the room of unity,' Denmark's foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, said after a meeting with EU commission leaders in Brussels on Monday, according to The Hill. Claudia Sheinbaum, President of Mexico, said progress has been made in U.S. bilateral trade discussions regarding security and combating fentanyl trafficking. 'There is a practically finalized agreement with the United States government, coordinated by the State Department on security issues. Sovereignty and the territoriality of each of us are clear, and coordination and collaboration schemes are established,' Sheinbaum said during her daily morning news conference. 'There's very important progress. Some minor details remain. We want it to be part of a global agreement, not just security on the one hand and trade on the other, but truly a general agreement with the United States government.' Trump's 90-day pause on the April 2 'reciprocal' tariffs to more than 90 trading partners was set to end Wednesday, but he signed an executive order last week delaying Wednesday's tariff deadline to Aug. 1. Over the past week, the Trump administration has sent a flurry of letters to dozens of U.S. trade partners informing them that higher import tariffs could kick in if no new trade agreements are reached within the next three weeks. Trump said he will impose a 35% tariff on the majority of imports from Canada starting next month, as well as 25% levies on products from South Korea and Japan. In his letter to Sheinbaum, Trump cited fentanyl as the main reason for the tariffs. Sheinbaum said her government has been working to curb the flow of fentanyl into the U.S., while also pressing White House officials to slow down shipments of illegal guns into Mexico. Mexico was the top U.S. trade partner in May at $74.5 billion in cross-border commerce, according to Census Bureau data. 'There are also issues related to fentanyl and security; in that case, an agreement has already been reached, always within the framework of respect for our sovereignty,' Sheinbaum said. 'They also have to do their part … We're doing our part; they have to do theirs too. We've insisted on controlling the flow of weapons into Mexico and on stopping those who traffic drugs in their territory. Collaboration must be mutual.' Trump has so far reached three deals — with the United Kingdom, China and Vietnam — although the agreements with China and the UK have not been finalized yet. The post Mexico expects US trade deal shortly; EU mulls retaliatory tariffs appeared first on FreightWaves. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
