Sheinbaum Presents Security Data, Calls for U.S. Responsibility

Ecatepec, Mexico — The C5 command center in Ecatepec was fortified and buzzing with the constant murmur of radios and illuminated screens. There, during her third morning press conference in the states, President Claudia Sheinbaum took the microphone with a clear message: “Mexico does not come to this stage of the relationship with the United States with speeches, but with results.”

Surrounded by her Security Cabinet and Governor Delfina Gómez, the president presented hard figures that set the tone for the morning: a 50% reduction in fentanyl seized at the border with the United States between 2024 and 2025, 320 tons of drugs secured on national territory, and a reduction of nearly 40% in intentional homicides from the start of her government until last December.

“There are three very concrete results,” stated the head of the executive branch firmly, as reporters’ cameras and cell phones captured every gesture.

From Ecatepec, one of the municipalities historically hardest hit by violence, Sheinbaum responded to statements from the U.S. Department of State. She acknowledged bilateral cooperation but made it clear there cannot be unilateral demands.

“Mutual respect and shared responsibility,” she repeated as a mantra. Mexico, she said, is doing its part; now it is the U.S.’s turn to reduce drug consumption, halt arms trafficking, and combat money laundering in its own territory.

“What part is theirs?” questioned the president, and the answer came immediately: public health campaigns, education, and real control over weapons that cross the border illegally.

In passing, the president recalled the recent discovery in Tijuana of a vehicle with 21 long weapons and 30 short weapons coming from the United States and emphasized that 75% of the weapons seized in Mexico are of U.S. origin.

But the morning conference did not stay solely on security. In the same forum, Sheinbaum confirmed that the federal government has formally notified businessman Ricardo Salinas Pliego to cover the tax debts he maintains, after the Supreme Court dismissed his legal appeals.

“He has already been notified; we are awaiting his response,” she said, without mincing words. She ruled out political persecution and stressed that it is a legal procedure derived from a definitive judicial resolution.