Mexico is once again sharpening its criticism of the United States and its foreign security policy. Recent moves by the Donald Trump administration have irked Claudia Sheinbaum’s government—specifically actions taken by one of its law enforcement arms, the FBI. A few days ago, the agency announced with great fanfare the installation—inside a museum—of the small plane used to transport drug trafficker Ismael “Mayo” Zambada to the U.S. more than two years ago.
This museum display has fueled the perception in Mexico that the FBI planned and executed the abduction of “Mayo” and his subsequent transfer across the border. Sheinbaum has announced that a report on the matter will be presented this week.
The leader addressed the issue this Monday during her morning press conference—the third time she has done so in just a few days—visibly annoyed by how her northern neighbor is handling the bilateral relationship. “It is very important to bring to light the way this arrest was carried out. It is highly relevant for both the current U.S. administration and the one in power at the time,” she stated.
Joe Biden was at the helm of the executive branch when the abduction of “Mayo”—who faces life imprisonment and has petitioned the judge for more lenient incarceration conditions—took place. Whether under Trump or Biden, the U.S. government has consistently denied any involvement in the abduction.
Sheinbaum had already addressed the topic on Friday during a working tour of Michoacán, following the FBI’s Wednesday announcement regarding the transfer of the aircraft to the museum’s collection. The museum is located near the airfield in New Mexico where Zambada arrived in late July 2024. “Mayo’s” removal from the criminal landscape triggered an internal war within the Sinaloa Cartel, plunging the country’s northwestern region into a spiral of savage, lethal violence that at times seems to subside, only to flare up again with renewed fury.
Earlier, Sheinbaum addressed the matter following the publication of the memoirs of Ken Salazar—the U.S. ambassador to Mexico at the time of Zambada’s abduction. In the book, Salazar suggests that Sheinbaum’s predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (2018–2024)—the historic leader of her political movement—was concerned about what “El Mayo” might tell U.S. authorities regarding his administration and the ties between drug trafficking and politics. “If President López Obrador had any concern, it was actually regarding the United States’ involvement in El Mayo’s capture,” Sheinbaum retorted.
The spat over the Zambada scandal is part of a series of rifts between the security apparatuses of Mexico and the U.S.; the most recent—and significant—link in this chain stems from another criticism Sheinbaum leveled against U.S. intervention south of the border. In April, the accidental death of two U.S. intelligence agents in Chihuahua revealed their prior involvement in dismantling a synthetic drug laboratory in the mountains. Sheinbaum vehemently denounced what she deemed an unacceptable U.S. intrusion onto Mexican soil. Her party, Morena, seized the opportunity to criticize the local PAN-led government and demand the governor’s resignation.
