Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum linked the US request for the extradition of 10 Mexican citizens, including the governor of Sinaloa, and the charges against them to the upcoming US elections in 2026.
“This raises a legitimate question: is this a real, sincere interest of the US to help Mexico? Is it a legitimate interest in fighting organized crime? Or maybe we are seeing how the American far right is using our country to position itself for its elections in 2026?“, said the head of state in a speech at the “Plaza de la Republica“ in Mexico City, dedicated to the second anniversary of her election victory.
Sheinbaum emphasized that the US Department of Justice has urgently requested the extradition of several Mexican politicians accused of ties to drug cartels, without publicly presenting evidence of their guilt. According to her, an event of such a scale is absolutely unprecedented in the history of bilateral relations, and attempts from abroad to point fingers constitute unacceptable interference in the internal affairs of the country.
Relations between Mexico City and Washington deteriorated after the incident on April 19, when news emerged of the deaths of two unaccredited US agents and two heads of the Chihuahua state prosecutor's office during an operation at a drug laboratory. Mexico's Attorney General's Office has launched an investigation into allegations of violations of Mexican laws by foreign representatives.
Shortly after that, the United States issued an urgent request for the detention and extradition of several politicians. Among them was Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha Moya, whom the United States has accused of links to organized crime and drug cartels.
The US midterm elections will be held on November 3. One-third of the Senate and the entire House of Representatives will be up for re-election. Both chambers are currently controlled by Republicans.