In one of the most delicate moments in U.S.-Mexico relations in years, host Enrique Acevedo interviewed Roberta Jacobson—former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico and former Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the State Department, a figure respected by both Republicans and Democrats—on N+ this Sunday to analyze the scandal currently holding both countries in suspense: the indictment of Sinaloa’s governor on leave, Rubén Rocha Moya, for alleged ties to the Sinaloa Cartel.
Jacobson did not downplay the gravity of the moment. When Acevedo pointed out that Mexican officials actively serving in their posts—not former governors or ex-legislators, but current officeholders—had never before been indicted in the United States, the former ambassador was direct:
And she went further: she warned that everything Washington does, or seeks to obtain from Mexico at this juncture, must be interpreted within the context of the upcoming USMCA negotiations, the formal review of which is about to begin.
“We have to view everything as part of that game. The government wants to use this to pressure Mexico in areas both within and outside the Treaty,” she noted.
Addressing the stance taken by President Claudia Sheinbaum—who has demanded “conclusive and irrefutable” evidence before taking action—Jacobson explained that for an extradition request, the United States is not required to present evidence sufficient to convict a person right from the start; however, it must provide very explicit elements demonstrating that the case has already passed through a grand jury and is proceeding toward a formal trial.
The question she left hanging in the air was more political than legal: What happens if that evidence is never made public or disclosed transparently?
