Federal and state officials provided an update on the aftermath of Hurricane Erick at the start of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s press conference.
Sheinbaum herself confirmed one death related to the hurricane before responding to a range of questions from reporters, including ones about the discovery of an illegal oil refinery and the arrest of Mexicans in immigration raids in the United States.
Sheinbaum confirms death of infant due to Hurricane Erick
Sheinbaum noted that an infant drowned in the state of Guerrero when he was swept away by floodwaters after Hurricane Erick made landfall in the neighboring state of Oaxaca on Thursday morning.
The victim was a one-year-old baby boy who died in a swollen river in the municipality of San Marcos, located on the Pacific coast south of Acapulco.
Sheinbaum said that the government of Guerrero was assisting the boy’s family.
She said that there were no other reports of fatalities linked to Erick, which made landfall as a Category 3 storm in the municipality of Santiago Pinotepa Nacional, Oaxaca, early on Thursday.
After rapid intensification, Hurricane Erick makes landfall in Oaxaca as a Category 3 storm
Earlier in the press conference, National Civil Protection Coordinator Laura Velázquez reported that the hurricane toppled trees and utility poles in Guerrero and Oaxaca and tore sheet metal roofs off homes.
She also noted that rain brought by the hurricane caused flooding in streets and homes.
Oaxaca Governor Salomón Jara said that 39 municipalities in the southern state were affected by Erick. He said that the worst affected municipality was Villa de Tututepec, located north of Puerto Escondido.
Jara said that various communities in that municipality, and in Pinotepa Nacional, were inaccessible by road due to floodwaters. He also noted that flooding occurred in Juchitán, a city near Salina Cruz on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.
Jara said that the Los Perros River in the city flooded, affecting some 2,000 homes in Juchitán. The governor also noted that Hurricane Erick caused damage to papaya and lime crops in Oaxaca.
“And some boats and motors of fishermen were also affected in Puerto Escondido, Puerto Ángel and Pinotepa Nacional,” Jara added.
National Defense Minister Ricardo Trevillo reported that 9,632 troops were deployed to Oaxaca to attend to the aftermath of the hurricane, while 11,876 were sent to Guerrero.
Some 12,000 troops were also deployed to Chiapas, “which was also expected to be affected,” he said.
Trevillo said that members of the armed forces had completed a range of tasks, including removing trees from roads, providing medical assistance at shelters and distributing food and water to affected citizens.
Sheinbaum said that a census to assess the damage caused by Hurricane Erick will commence once the “emergency period” has concluded. She said that the census will be carried out by the Welfare Ministry, which will determine which citizens are eligible for government support.
“In any case, there is already food and grocery support,” Sheinbaum said.
‘We’re not going to protect anyone involved in the sale of illegal fuel’
A reporter suggested that employees of state oil company Pemex were involved in the operation of a clandestine oil refinery in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, that was shut down this week by federal authorities. She asked the president whether the investigation into the illegal refinery will consider the possible involvement of Pemex workers.
Security forces shut down clandestine oil refinery in Veracruz
“We’re not going to protect anyone,” Sheinbaum responded.
“… We’re not going to protect anyone involved in the sale of illegal fuel,” she stressed.
“… To build a refinery of this type you essentially need chemical engineers,” Sheinbaum said. “They may or may not work at Pemex.”
222 Mexicans detained in immigration raids in past 2 weeks
Sheinbaum said that 222 Mexicans have been detained in immigration raids in the United States since June 6, the date U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) carried out raids at a Home Depot and a textile factory in Los Angeles.
Later in the day, Foreign Affairs Ministry official Roberto Velasco said that ICE has detained 1,154 Mexicans since United States President Donald Trump began his second term on Jan. 20.
“We have knowledge of 111 ICE operations, in which 5,719 people have been detained, including 1,154 Mexican people,” he told a press conference.
In the past two weeks, Velasco said that Mexicans were detained by ICE in cities including Los Angeles and Omaha, and in the town of Vinton, Louisiana.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies ([email protected])
