Sunday’s tragic train derailment in Oaxaca was the main topic of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Monday morning press conference.
The president said she would be traveling to the region later in the day to visit the injured and their families.
Sheinbaum also talked about the Sonora River clean-up project and the controversial arrest of a journalist in the Gulf Coast state of Veracruz.
Sheinbaum lists federal priorities following Interoceanic Train derailment
After Naval Minister Admiral Raymundo Morales provided an update on the accident and its victims, Sheinbaum detailed the government’s three main concerns:
1. Guaranteeing care for victims and their families
“I instructed the Navy Minister and the Undersecretary of Human Rights of the Interior Ministry to … personally attend to the families,” she said, adding that she also ordered delegates from the federal public health system to oversee treatment of the victims.
2. Clarifying the facts through the Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) and the Oaxaca state prosecutor’s office
“The Transportation Regulatory Agency is also required to conduct a review, and because there were fatalities, the FGR must participate,” she said, adding that the Interior Ministry will oversee the operation.
3. Ensuring the safety of the Interoceanic Railway
“The Navy will take the point in ensuring that the railway is safe to operate again,” she said.
13 dead and more than 100 injured after train derails in Oaxaca
During his presentation, Admiral Morales said the line was in good operating condition before the accident and no adverse atmospheric conditions had been reported. He said a hi-rail had passed through the site of the accident about 90 minutes before the derailment and found no debris on the tracks.
Officials provide update on Sonora River clean-up program
Environment Minister Alicia Bárcena said the Environmental Justice Plan addressing the 2014 spill of 40,000 m³ of copper sulfate into the Sonora River will soon be launched as the government seeks to compensate the 20,000 people living within a 300-kilometer stretch of the Sonora River Basin affected by the toxic pollutants.
Bárcena said the plan focuses on resolving public health issues, ensuring access to drinking water, boosting the local economy and redressing the environmental damage.
Efraín Morales, director general of the National Water Commission (Conagua), said a permanent monitoring center that includes three automatic stations, 42 manual monitoring sites and a visualization center will be created in the region.
The center will focus on monitoring water quality in real time to prevent massive contamination.
Its laboratory will be staffed by certified personnel who will measure 64 parameters, including heavy metals, metalloids and water toxicity.
Interior Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez indicated that settlement terms were established between the state government, the federal government and Grupo México, the owners of the Buenavista del Cobre mine responsible for the spill.
Rodríguez said Grupo México — accused of negligence — will supply 70% of the funding for the Environmental Justice Plan, or roughly 1.5 billion pesos (US $83.4 million).
Sheinbaum questions arrest of journalist on terrorism charges
The president said on Monday that she has no idea why Veracruz prosecutors charged journalist Rafael León with terrorism after his Dec. 24 arrest in Coatzacoalcos.
⚠️ ALERTA: Imputación de @FGE_Veracruz a periodista Rafael León por “terrorismo” es un peligroso precedente contra la libertad de expresión.https://t.co/PhNEy7WgB3 pic.twitter.com/jLHyi6tEgd
— ARTICLE 19 México y Centroamérica (@article19mxca) December 27, 2025
Sheinbaum said she was unaware of the reason why León, a journalist who covers the police beat, was apprehended, adding that his classification as a terrorist makes no sense.
State prosecutors did not identify the specific crime he is charged with, vaguely declaring that the penal code refers to it as terrorism and alleged that he “produced alarm, fear and terror in the population.”
“I would make three points,” Sheinbaum said. “First, I don’t know why the prosecution is using the charge of terrorism, because there has never been a terrorism charge in Mexico. Second, freedom of expression must be guaranteed. And third, if this person has committed a crime … the Prosecutor’s Office must explain it.”
Sheinbaum said Veracruz Governor Rocio Nahle has also said she is unaware of why terrorism charges were filed.
“Interior Minister Rodríguez and I will be closely monitoring this case,” Sheinbaum said.
León and other local journalists have previously exposed irregularities in the actions of the Veracruz Prosecutor’s Office, alleging it uses the penal system to intimidate journalists and has sought to criminalize investigative journalism.
With reports from Infobae, Milenio, Debate, La Jornada and Article 19
