Early in her Monday morning press conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke about two tragic events that occurred over the weekend: a fire at a discount store in Hermosillo, Sonora, that claimed 23 lives, and the murder of the mayor of Uruapan, Michoacán, at a Day of the Dead event in the city’s central square.
Sheinbaum said that the Sonora Attorney General’s Office is conducting an investigation into the “terrible fire” in Hermosillo, which she acknowledged appeared to have been caused by an explosion.
“We mourn the deaths,” she said.
Sheinbaum subsequently described the murder of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo as “cowardly” and “despicable.”
She condemned the attack on the 40-year-old mayor and once again conveyed her condolences to the family and other “loved ones” of Manzo, an outspoken anti-crime crusader.
Sheinbaum noted that one suspect was killed at the scene of the crime while two other people were arrested. She said that the Michoacán Attorney General’s Office is conducting an investigation into the murder, and noted that her government’s security cabinet is providing all necessary support.
“As I said to his family members, … there will be no impunity,” Sheinbaum said.
“We’re going to continue all the investigations until we detain those responsible — not just the perpetrators but also those who ordered this execution,” she said.
Security minister: No indication that municipal police who protected mayor are linked to organized crime
Responding to a reporter’s question, federal Security Minister Omar García Harfuch said there was no evidence that the Uruapan municipal police officers who were tasked with protecting Manzo have links to organized crime.
“In fact,” he said, it was one of those police officers who killed the criminal who murdered the mayor.
Manzo’s security detail also consisted of 14 members of the National Guard, who, according to National Defense Minister Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, were responsible for providing “peripheral” or perimeter security for the mayor.
The municipal police officers formed Manzo’s “first circle” of security, García Harfuch said, explaining that for that reason they were the ones who “reacted” when the mayor was shot on Saturday night.
Outspoken anti-crime mayor assassinated in Uruapan, Michoacán’s second-largest city
He noted that attendees of the event held in Uruapan on Saturday night didn’t have to undergo any security checks to gain access to the square.
“There was no filter to see who could enter or not; it was a completely open event, a public event,” García Harfuch said.
He said that “organized crime” was responsible for the murder of the mayor, but didn’t attribute the attack to any particular group.
“The groups that work in that area, or commit crimes in that area, are those that we all know: The Viagras, the Jalisco Cartel, Los Blancos de Troya. …. We’re going to determine …specifically which group or which cell these individuals belonged to,” García Harfuch said, referring to the suspects.
Security will be strengthened in Uruapan
García Harfuch said that security measures will “of course” be strengthened in Uruapan and nearby areas in light of the murder of the mayor.
He stressed that federal security forces began “several operations” in Michoacán months ago, and noted that soldiers have lost their lives while carrying out those missions.
“What are we going to do? We are going to reinforce what we have been doing,” García Harfuch said.
“We’ve made very important arrests in Michoacán. We’re going to continue with these operations on the instructions of the president,” he said, noting also that the government’s anti-extortion strategy is being implemented in the state.
Farmers are among the victims of extortion in Michoacán, which is easily Mexico’s largest producer of avocados, many of which are exported to the United States, generating billions of dollars of revenue every year.
Sheinbaum rails against government critics and past presidents
Sheinbaum said that government critics, including opposition politicians, are attempting to use the murder of the Uruapan mayor for political gain.
“There isn’t even empathy with what happened,” she said.
Sheinbaum rejected claims that Manzo didn’t have support from the federal government, noting that the National Guard has been operating in Uruapan.
She also took swipes at former president Felipe Calderón, who launched his militarized war against cartels in his home state of Michoacán in 2006, and his successor Enrique Peña Nieto.
“How did Calderón leave Michoacán in 2012?” she asked, referring to the year in which the ex-president’s six-year term concluded.
“And [then] Peña arrives and how did he leave Michoacán in 2018?” asked Sheinbaum, posing a second rhetorical question to emphasize her point that the security situation worsened in Michoacán during his presidency as well.
She also highlighted that Calderón’s security minister was Genaro García Luna, who is now in a U.S. prison after being convicted of colluding with the Sinaloa Cartel while he was a federal official.
The president, following in the footsteps of her predecessor Andrés Manuel López Obrador, blames Calderón and the war against cartels he initiated for creating much of the violence that continues to plague Mexico today.
On Monday morning, she took aim at government critics, saying that they have no proposal to combat insecurity in Mexico other than “la mano dura” — i.e. an iron-fisted or heavy-handed approach to law enforcement.
Sheinbaum’s security strategy places emphasis on addressing the root causes of crime and strengthening intelligence and investigation practices. However, under her leadership, federal security forces have shown a greater willingness to combat criminal groups with proactive actions and force than they did during the presidency of López Obrador.
Homicides declined during Sheinbaum’s first year in office, but violence remains a major problem in various parts of Mexico, including in certain municipalities in the states of Guanajuato, Sinaloa and Michoacán, which recorded the seventh highest number of murders among the 32 federal entities in the first nine months of 2025.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
