United States Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar lashed out at the previous federal government on Wednesday, declaring that its “hugs, not bullets” security strategy failed and blaming former president AndrĆ©s Manuel LĆ³pez Obrador for a breakdown in bilateral security cooperation.
His remarks ā perhaps the most pointed of his tenure to date as ambassador ā prompted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) to send a diplomatic note to the United States Embassy in Mexico.
“In the note, Mexico expresses its concern over the statements made by the U.S. ambassador to our country,” the SRE said in a statement.
In a press conference at his official residence in Mexico City, Salazar also took aim at what he characterized as a Mexican government narrative that there is no major security problem in Mexico.
“To say there isnāt a problem is to deny the reality,” he said.
“The reality is there is a very big problem in Mexico and thatās why the [security] plan of President [Claudia] Sheinbaum has to be successful,” Salazar said.
The ambassador, a frequent visitor to the National Palace while LĆ³pez Obrador was president, bluntly declared that the “hugs, not bullets” (abrazos, no balazos) security strategy implemented by the previous government “didn’t work.”
The United States supports the prevention part of the strategy ā the attention to the root causes of crime through social programs ā but Mexico also needs to apply the law to ensure there is no impunity for criminals, Salazar said.
“Security is the most important thing, the hinge of a democracy,” he said. “The people of Mexico mustn’t live with fear.”
Salazar charged that security coordination between the United States and Mexico “unfortunately … failed in the past year, in large part because the previous president didnāt want to receive support from the United States.”
“He closed the door on [security] investment of more than US $32 million because he didnāt want this investment to arrive in Mexico to help the Mexican people,” he said.
Support from the U.S. government was “rejected because of ideological problems or other explanations” not based on the reality of the security situation Mexico faces, Salazar said.
To emphasize what he sees as the gravity of Mexico’s insecurity problem, the ambassador referred to the ongoing violence in Sinaloa, where infighting between rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel has claimed scores of lives in recent months.
He also said that “the reality is that the people of Mexico … don’t live in safety.”
Business people, “members of the press like you, those who work on street corners” and “those who have ranches” all face security risks, Salazar said.
“Like the cattleman in Sinaloa who was killed on the weekend because he was a leader,” he said.
Among the other incidences of violence Salazar referred to was the murder of a priest in Chiapas last month and the killings of two elderly Jesuit priests in Chihuahua in 2022.
He also hit back at LĆ³pez Obrador’s assertion in September that that the United States government was partly to blame for the wave of cartel violence in Sinaloa.
“Blaming others, blaming the United States, … that’s not what is needed to reach security,” Salazar said.
His forthright assessment of Mexico’s security situation and declaration that the “hugs, not bullets” security strategy failed will likely be among his final public remarks as ambassador as he won’t remain in the position once Donald Trump returns to the White House in January.
Salazar, a former United States senator and secretary of the interior during the Obama administration, was nominated by U.S. President Joe Biden in 2021, and arrived in Mexico City in September of that year.
His close relationship with LĆ³pez Obrador soured earlier this year after he made critical remarks about the government’s judicial reform and due to what the Mexican government regarded as a lack of transparency about the arrests of alleged Sinaloa Cartel drug traffickers Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and JoaquĆn GuzmĆ”n LĆ³pez at an airport near El Paso, Texas, in late July.
LĆ³pez Obrador announced in late August that the Mexican government’s relationship with the United States Embassy in Mexico was “on pause.”
“How are we going to allow [Salazar] to opine that what weāre doing is wrong,” AMLO said at the time.
On Wednesday, the ambassador said the Sheinbaum administration needs to work on strengthening the security relationship between Mexico and the United States as it goes about implementing its security strategy.
That strategy, outlined by Security Minister Omar GarcĆa Harfuch last month, continues to focus on combating the root causes of crime through social programs, but may allow for greater use of force against criminals, at least if recent weeks are an indication of what’s to come.
Salazar also stressed the need for “corrupt people” to be weeded out from state governments as well as the importance of creating “a strong justice system” that includes effective police forces made up of well-paid officers.
“You canāt pay a police officer almost nothing and expect that heās going to do his work,” he said.
“… Police turn to corruption because they’re not paid enough to live on,” Salazar said.
The Sheinbaum administration, he added, “has to invest resources in … security.”
“… Republican austerity, as they say, won’t work to achieve security for the people of Mexico. They have to invest,” Salazar said.
The ambassador briefly addressed the victory of Trump and the Republican Party in the United States elections last week, saying that the loss for the Democratic Party “should hurt.”
With regard to Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on Mexican exports and deport millions of undocumented migrants, Salazar simply said that “a lot of what is said” while politicians are campaigning doesn’t eventuate.
He didn’t say when his term as ambassador will conclude, and it could be some time before Trump appoints a replacement, but it’s safe to say that Salazar is on his way out ā and he evidently isn’t afraid to speak his mind as he departs.
With reports from Reforma, El Financiero andĀ El PaĆsĀ
So interesting that Salazar would lecture Mexico, the USA has the highest rate of gun violence in the world and its government is powerless to do anything about it.
In 2020, the estimated murder rates for the United States and Mexico were as follows: keep in mind that the Mexican estimate is conservative because many murders are not reported and bodies have never been found.
– United States: The murder rate was approximately 6.9 per 100,000 people. This marked an increase from previous years, influenced by various factors including the COVID-19 pandemic, civil unrest, and other social issues.
– Mexico: The murder rate was significantly higher, estimated at around 29.6 per 100,000 people. This high rate was largely driven by violence related to organized crime, drug trafficking, and gang-related activities.
These figures illustrate a stark contrast in homicide rates between the two countries. For the most reliable and updated information, it’s advisable to consult reputable sources such as the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program for the United States and Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI).
Thank you for stating facts instead of fabricated assumptions. While lower than his predecessor, AMLO’s Presidency still saw nearly 200K homicides. So far under Sheinbaum’s leadership, Mexico is averaging 500 homicides per week. More troubling is who is being murdered; priests, politicians, reporters, innocent civilians & immigrants – along, of course, with the narcos who have instigated much of the violence, and should be hunted down and killed.
Thank you š
Glad all you gun carrying MAGA’s continue to point in various directions to avoid looking for a solution in the US. Always enjoyable to hear from a country where going to a movie, grocery store or a middle school can get dozens of people killed or wounded. Just keep up the good job of throwing out red herring, and hiding behind the gun lobby and you will all get to sleep with your AR-15’s. Clean up your own house before you criticize others.
The article is not about the USA.
Really? Better late than never to make a statement like this. Guns are big business, crime is big business. Mexico does not want the cartels to go away as they bring in big $$$ to economy. US does not want crime to go away, gun sales are big $$$. It is the punk cartels, the big man wantabe that are the scary ones. No different than a unstable person in the USA.
Not that I totally agree with Salazar but hugs not bullets is definitely not the answer, all you have to do is look at what is happening now in certain states, hopefully something can be done to alleviate this problem.
Too little, too late Mr. Salazar. Probably not going to like his replacement but I’ve never warmed to this guy. Gives cowboy hats a bad name too! šš
Oh, what sayeth the salamander as he sleeks of to his hole. It’s obvious that the cartel problem is far out of control in the U.M.S. and hasn’t figured out that hugs are for cartels which behave and bullets are for those which don’t behave. It’s also obvious that the MAGA cartel has captured the U.S.A. government, is blind to the addicts and gangs in the U.S.A. which drive demand for drugs from the U.M.S., and is blind to the reality that removing El Mayo has removed any semblance of orderliness within that cartel and strengthened competing ones. So, it’s very interesting to view the fascist civil war between MAGA fascism and cartel fascism with absolutely no insight nor regard for victims.
Ken is a tool of the US and not a very sharp one at that!
“hugs not bullets was not meant literally.! The hugs were not meant for the criminals. It was meant as a slogan to address the causes of violence instead of declaring an all out war on crime which would have caused even more violence. The INEGI has shown that although still very high, killings and other crimes have come down these past 6 years and current stats show a decrease.
Wow! Well done journalism.
As a 60-year student, visitor and/or resident of Mexico, my “take” is that “hugs” are needed to address the root causes of the drug industry and resulting violence, and bullets are needed to confront the day-to-day fallout. It will take a sustained effort on both fronts to improve the situation. I am not optimistic.
Does this mean he thinks it was a bad idea for AMLO to pay a visit to Chapoās mother?
Why is a so-called diplomat publicly criticizing the country he is posted to? I doubt he has any trouble passing on his private thoughts or official US criticisms, suggestions, etc. to the relevant officials in Mexico. Very unprofessional. And embarrassing.
As a Canadian, perhaps I should hold my tongue but I believe diplomats can do more good criticizing the host government policies PRIVATELY.
I have to agree with your assessment, Mr. Perry.
Salazar is on his way out. He knows Trump can take his sweet time replacing him, and this is his way of pandering to Trump. Salazar is the least of Mexico’s US policy problem. Don’t get distracted by his words, bigger headwinds are coming. There’s a saying; the devil you know, is better then the devil you don’t. Salazar may just be better than the person Trump appoints.
“but Mexico also needs to apply the law to ensure there is no impunity for criminals, Salazar said.” What an irony and they elected a criminal to the Presidency.
The goverment closes their eyes and allows the police to be corrupt so they don’t have to pay them proper wages. The goverment knows this and does nothing. The locals and expats make up the difference in wages with the bite the police put on them.
Also they total fail on proper training of the officers and they don’t have a National crime data base to communicate all law enforcement departments like what is available in near all countries. I believe they don’t have one for a reason that is not good.
So, at the end of the previous Mexican administration this guy now gives his opinion. Whatever dude.
There clearly is a security problem in both countries. In the U.M.S. cartels have militaries and engage in inter-cartel warfare and warfare with the State. In the U.S.A. there have been the twin cancers of ANTIFA and Trumpers both of whom have engaged in insurrection and a serial felon has become the godfather of the U.S.A.