Sheinbaum Probes Calderón’s Death Squad Allegations

Mexico City — President Claudia Sheinbaum opened the door this Thursday to the possibility of initiating a criminal investigation against former president Felipe Calderón. She stated that during his administration, "death squads" responsible for extrajudicial executions and kidnappings were in operation, a period she described as "one of the darkest in the nation's life."

During her morning press conference, Sheinbaum was questioned about an investigation published in 2013 by the magazine Contralínea. That report documented the existence of commandos created by Genaro García Luna, then Secretary of Public Security, comprised of specialized agents who allegedly participated in murders, disappearances, and kidnappings during the Calderón administration and the first year of Enrique Peña Nieto's government.

The reporter noted that one of the members of these paramilitary groups confirmed their existence years later in the documentary "Narco Circo," by journalist Romain Bollinger. In the documentary, the member recounted the participation of these teams in the execution and disappearance of civilians, alleged criminals, businesspeople, journalists, activists, and social leaders.

Confronted with these allegations, Sheinbaum stated that the described events illustrate the level of institutional decay that prevailed under the command of García Luna—who is currently imprisoned in the United States for links to drug trafficking—and the profound deterioration of security recorded in that period.

"The Calderón era is one of the worst periods Mexico has ever experienced. He illegitimately came to power and his government was marked from the start by a supposed war on drugs that ended in corruption, association with criminal groups, and a dramatic increase in intentional homicides," she stated.

The president emphasized that while some sectors today demand the return of a "firm hand," they omit criticism of what she characterized as a policy of violence promoted from within the government.

"They speak of the rule of law, but they do not mention that there were groups dedicated to homicide promoted by the government itself. It is worth investigating further, now from the perspective of the Attorney General's Office," she indicated.

Sheinbaum reiterated that, in her view, the country now faces two projects: one representing the continuity of "Mexican humanism" and another that, she said, seeks to restore the economic, media, and political privileges that dominated during the Calderón era.

With this, the head of state left the door open for the Attorney General's Office to deepen investigations into the alleged death squads and determine if there are grounds to proceed criminally against former president Felipe Calderón and other responsible parties from that period.