Why do US agencies vet Mexican police? Friday’s mañanera recapped

At her last greeting property league of the week, President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke astir the vetting of Mexican information forces by the U.S. authorities and media disapproval of her administration, among different issues.

Mexico’s archetypal pistillate president besides reiterated that her authorities volition ever support the interests of the Mexican people.

Why bash United States agencies vet Mexican police?

A newsman asked the president wherefore United States agencies vet “ministerial police” successful Mexico.

The question came 2 days aft United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that the “ICE Homeland Security Investigations vetted unit” wrong the Criminal Investigation Agency of the Federal Attorney General’s Office had dismantled “three large-scale synthetic cause accumulation labs successful Sinaloa.”

Sheinbaum said that “certification” of Mexican information forces by U.S. authorities is “something that has been astir for a agelong time.”

“… This vetting of the Criminal Investigation Agency … started agelong earlier President Andrés Manuel López Obrador,” she said, referring to her predecessor.

Three large-scale synthetic cause accumulation labs successful Sinaloa were dismantled with narcotics and chemic precursors seized successful an cognition led by the ICE Homeland Security Investigations vetted portion wrong the Government of Mexico, Fiscalia General de la Republica, Agencia de… pic.twitter.com/H9X1fafWbu

— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) May 14, 2025

The vetting of Mexican information forces by United States agencies began aft Mexico and the U.S. launched the Mérida Initiative information practice statement successful 2008. It is fundamentally an effort to guarantee that Mexican information unit members — peculiarly those who collaborate with and person intelligence, grooming and instrumentality from U.S. authorities — are not corrupt and don’t person links to organized transgression groups.

The United States Department of State noted that “activities” nether the now-defunct Mérida inaugural statement included “the constitution of anti-corruption programs that see vetting of constabulary personnel.”

The vetting inaugural has not ever been arsenic palmy arsenic the U.S. authorities would person liked.

According to a 2021 Brookings Institution article, the Mexican authorities has insisted connected “higher-level Mexican officials” being exempt from U.S. vetting. That insistence, Brookings said, created “disastrous effects for collaboration, meaningful instrumentality enforcement, and the information of Mexican civilians.”

Mexico’s “top cop” during the 2006-12 medication of erstwhile president Felipe Calderón — ex-security curate Genaro García Luna — was sentenced to 38 years successful situation successful the United States past October aft helium was convicted of colluding with the Sinaloa Cartel. García Luna worked intimately with U.S. instrumentality enforcement authorities during his present heavy tainted tenure arsenic information minister.

Asked connected Friday whether Mexico vets immoderate constabulary successful the United States, Sheinbaum responded that it does not, but highlighted that Mexican authorities supply “information” to their U.S. counterparts that assistance operations connected the “other broadside of the border.”

At the greeting property conference, Sheinbaum shared a missive from the U.S. Embassy correcting a writer who shared misinformation astir U.S. agents operating successful Mexico. (Presidencia)

Mexican quality precocious led to a seizure of narcotics and firearms successful Arizona, she said.

Asked whether she thinks U.S. vetting of Mexican information forces is “good” oregon thing that should beryllium “canceled,” Sheinbaum avoided giving a nonstop response.

“We’ll person to inquire the lawyer wide what consciousness this vetting has, and [he] tin inform,” she said.

‘Whatever we do, they volition knock us’ 

A newsman asked the president whether sections of the media had engaged successful a “campaign” to “alarm” Mexicans “about a expected United States intervention” portion depicting her medication arsenic a “weak authorities that doesn’t support the sovereignty” of Mexico.

The question came aft ICE’s societal media station announcing the dismantling of cause labs successful Sinaloa sparked claims that U.S. agents were progressive successful the cognition successful the bluish state. Some media outlets initially reported that ICE led the cognition erstwhile successful information it was led by an ICE-vetted portion of Mexico’s Criminal Investigation Agency (AIC).

Sheinbaum said she didn’t cognize what the “objective” of immoderate sections of media was with their reporting.

The Criminal Investigation Agency (AIC), shown collaborating with the Mexican Army successful a 2018 operation, is Mexico’s apical home quality and information service. (FGR/X)

“Whatever we do, they volition knock us,” she said, referring to definite media outlets and idiosyncratic commentators.

“If I had gone to the ceremonial events of Pope Francis, they would person criticized me. As I didn’t go, they knock maine arsenic well,” Sheinbaum said.

“They’re [always] going to knock america due to the fact that they don’t hold with our authorities and what we represent,” she said.

‘I don’t correspond Claudia Sheinbaum; la presidenta represents her people’ 

In an extended effect to the question astir the alleged media scare campaign, Sheinbaum went connected to reiterate that her authorities cooperates and collaborates with the U.S. government, but “doesn’t judge subordination.”

“We person connection with the authorities of the United States connected a batch of issues,” she said, citing the screwworm contented and tariffs arsenic examples.

Sheinbaum said that the “main” bilateral contented her authorities is presently focused connected is the legislative connection successful the United States to enforce a 5% taxation connected remittances sent retired of the state by non-citizen immigrants.

During her greeting property conference, Sheinbaum shared sections of a Mexico-U.S. taxation statement to reason against the projected U.S. remittance tax. (Presidencia)

The president is vehemently opposed to the imposition of a taxation connected remittances, portion of a monolithic taxation and migration bundle whose beforehand to the U.S. House of Representatives’ level was blocked connected Friday. She is besides opposed to a scope of different U.S. measures, including the imposition of tariffs connected Mexican products and President Donald Trump’s wide deportation initiative.

Nevertheless, Sheinbaum stressed that “our thought is to person the champion narration imaginable with the United States.”

That relationship, she added, indispensable beryllium “a narration of respect and not of subordination.”

“… That has been the past of our convictions and it won’t alteration portion I’m president of the republic, never,” Sheinbaum said.

“Besides, we correspond the radical of Mexico. I don’t correspond Claudia Sheinbaum; la presidenta represents her radical and we volition ever support the radical of Mexico, the federation and the homeland,” she said.

By Mexico News Daily main unit writer Peter Davies ([email protected])