An out-of-context photograph became the latest rift between the administrations of Donald Trump and Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum, suggesting that ties between the North American countries will remain strained and become increasingly complicated. The latest rift also comes after the Trump administration allowed the family of Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán, a Mexican drug lord and a former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel who is serving a life sentence in Colorado, to enter the United States.
In this regard, Trump has put Mexico, which has been fighting the crisis unleashed by organized crime, in serious trouble—first with its tariff threats and then with its actions on security. The most recent controversy between the Trump administration and Mexico was a publication by the US’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in which the agency claims it led an operation to dismantle clandestine laboratories on Mexican territory.
“Three large-scale synthetic drug production labs in Sinaloa were dismantled with narcotics and chemical precursors seized in an operation led by the ICE Homeland Security Investigations vetted unit within the Government of Mexico, Fiscalia General de la Republica, Agencia de Investigacion Criminal, supported by the Mexican Secretaria de la Defensa Nacional and Secretaria de Marina,” ICE said in a statement, adding that the shipments came from China.
However, Sheinbaum denied the report by ICE, saying it is “false” and alleging that she led an operation to dismantle clandestine laboratories in Mexico.
“For many years, since President Andrés Manuel López Obrador took office, and to this day, no agency has coordinated, or participated in any operation in our territory. This photograph does not correspond to what appears in that publication,” the Mexican head of state said.
Days before, the Mexican president criticized the arrival to the US of 17 relatives of El Chapo. The drug lord’s relatives were allegedly received by FBI agents under the ‘parole’ scheme even though they lead Los Chapitos — the faction of the Sinaloa Cartel controlled by El Chapo’s children.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer slammed the deal, saying it sent the wrong “kind of message” to criminals.
“So, Donald Trump, Mr. Tough on the Border, Don’t let Criminals in, has just allowed 17 relatives of El Chapo, one of the most notorious cartel drug dealers, into America,” Schumer said in a video posted on X. “What the hell is going on Donald Trump? First, you say you want to be tough on the border, and then you let El Chapo’s relatives in? Let’s not forget who El Chapo is, Donald Trump. He was head of the Sinaloa Cartel. One of the worst cartels that poisoned American children with their drugs for decades, and you’re letting his relatives into the country? What kind of message does that send?”
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Schumer added that the deal is “dangerous” and asked if the cartel offered him a “gold-plated helicopter,” a sarcastic reference to the Boeing 747 the US president recently received from Qatar.
Regarding security, Mexico and the US have a long-standing mutual distrust, which has complicated communication between the neighboring countries with more than 3,000 kilometers of shared border. However, this distrust has grown in recent years, especially on the part of the US.
With Trump’s return, the US government has taken unilateral measures that have made relations between the countries increasingly strained. One example is the fact that US authorities are negotiating with figures like Ovidio Guzmán, the son of El Chapo. Clearly, there is an agreement between Ovidio and the Trump administration that allowed him to take 16 family members with him to the US.
Since Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s administration (2018-2024), security relations between Mexico and the US have cooled further. Thus, today, the Mexico-US relationship is currently handled with a double standard. It is necessary for both countries, from the outset, to declare that they do not trust each other and sit down at the negotiating table because it is truly in everyone’s interest to end organized crime and the spiral of violence that is growing in Mexico.
Nonetheless, US demands and unilateral actions involving Mexico in security matters will increase as the Latin American country ultimately has difficulty meeting Trump’s wishes. It is recalled that Trump, as a presidential candidate, promised to stop the flow of fentanyl into the US and fight Mexican cartels.
Relations between Mexico and the US will certainly cool further with the arrival of the new ambassador to the Latin American country, Ronald Johnson, a security agent disguised as a diplomat. Johnson will practically be a hawk reporting on the situation, pushing for a security policy that Sheinbaum is expected to pursue, ensuring that ties between Washington and Mexico City will remain strained.
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Ahmed Adel is a Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.
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