President Claudia Sheinbaum gave little away when asked at her Friday morning press conference about the extradition of 29 cartel figures to the United States on Thursday.
She did, however, take a jab at Mexico’s judiciary, and in doing so alluded to at least part of the reason why the Mexican government decided to send the narcos (or alleged narcos) over the border.
At her final mañanera of the week — and the month — Sheinbaum also spoke about the looming threat of tariffs and the murder of Tenochtitlán ruler Cuauhtémoc 500 years ago.
Judicial corruption in Mexico is ‘abnormal and offensive’
Sheinbaum declined to respond to a reporter’s question about the extradition of 29 drug cartel figures to the United States on Thursday, noting that Security Minister Omar García Harfuch and Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero would hold a press conference later in the day.
“I can say one thing to you — the corruption of the judicial power in our country is abnormal and offensive,” the president said.
“How good it is that the people of Mexico took the decision to profoundly change the judicial power,” Sheinbaum said, adding that it was a “blessing for Mexico” that judicial elections will be held later this year (thanks to a judicial reform approved by Congress in late 2024).
García Harfuch subsequently told reporters there was a risk that some of the 29 defendants sent to the United States could have been released from prison if they remained in Mexico.
“The security cabinet has information that there was a risk that some of these individuals requested by the United States government would have been released … due to agreements with some judges who sought to help them, as has occurred on other occasions and during many years,” he said.
The United States Justice Department said the Mexican government elected to transfer the defendants to the United States in response to its “efforts pursuant to President Trump’s directive” in a recent executive order “to pursue total elimination of these Cartels.”
Mexico’s Security Ministry and the Federal Attorney General’s Office said in a joint statement that the extraditions were part of the “work of coordination, cooperation and bilateral reciprocity within the framework of respect for the sovereignty of both nations.”
Sheinbaum says there is still time to reach an agreement to stave off tariffs
A reporter noted that there is speculation that the delivery of the 29 cartel figures to the United States is a “bargaining chip” — part of Mexico’s efforts to appease the Trump administration in order to stave off 25% tariffs on Mexican exports that are scheduled to take effect on Tuesday.
“On the issue of these people,” Sheinbaum said, “Omar [García] and the attorney general will give a press conference.”
“And about this [tariff] issue there are still three days to go,” she added.
Sheinbaum said earlier in the press conference that a call or in-person meeting with Trump on the tariff issue remained a possibility.
Murder of Cuauhtémoc an act of ‘enormous cruelty’
Shortly before attending a “state funeral” in Mexico City’s central square to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Mexica tlatoani Cuauhtémoc, Sheinbaum spoke about the Mexica (or Aztec) ruler’s murder.
The murder of Cuauhtémoc in 1525 was an act of “enormous cruelty,” she said.
Funerales de Estado: 500 Años de la Ejecución de Cuauhtémoc. Zócalo de la Ciudad de México https://t.co/m5FuZyZD5Q
— Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (@Claudiashein) February 28, 2025
“Cuauhtémoc was captured. He asked [Spanish conquistador Hernán] Cortés to kill him with his knife at that time. Cortés said no and kept him in captivity for years. They took him to Coyoacán, they burnt the soles of his feet and his hands so he would tell them where the gold was. And after that they were taking him to Honduras but ended up hanging him in Tabasco,” Sheinbaum said.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies ([email protected])
