This article by Alonso Urrutia and Ángeles Cruz originally appeared in the November 3, 2025 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.
Mexico City. President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo condemned the murder of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo and assured the public that there would be no impunity in this case, emphasizing that investigations are already underway. She also reiterated her solidarity with the family members with whom she spoke yesterday.
Similarly, she called right-wing critics who have begun to advocate for a tougher security strategy to return to militarization and the war on drugs “vultures.”
“Justice is the only way to build peace and security, social justice where there is zero impunity. That is why the judiciary was reformed. It is necessary to continue advancing in intelligence, investigation, and prosecution,” said the President, who lashed out at the right wing, which she said has begun a campaign “with a lot of money” to establish a narrative about what happened and distort the lack of support, according to her, from the federal government.
Uruapan received support through the presence of the National Guard, with the military zone commander offering his support to the mayor. “Yesterday I said, the full force of the State, and this means justice. Some call for a war on drugs, militarization, and war, but that doesn’t work; in fact, it’s what led to the violence in Michoacán. Violence that we are only now beginning to reduce. It was six years under Calderón and six under Peña, and the strategy only recently changed.”
She recalled that it was in Michoacán where Calderón launched the war on drugs and appointed Genaro García Luna, who is now detained in New York, to lead it. The solution lies in addressing the root causes, zero impunity, investigation, and prosecution.
Es importante que se configure el observatorio sobre el crimen organizado entre México y Colombia. La lucha común contra mafias multinacionales bien cimentada y apoyada en el análisis y la inteligencia de alto nivel, puede ser victoriosa en favor de lla democracia de los…
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) November 3, 2025
Colombian President Gustavo Petro commented on Sheinbaum’s comments, saying “It is important that the observatory on organized crime between Mexico and Colombia be established. The common fight against well-established multinational mafias, supported by analysis and high-level intelligence, can be victorious in favor of the democracy of the peoples.”
“Of course we condemn the murder, we are conducting investigations, but they’ve forgotten history. Where did he declare the drug war? In Michoacán, six years of a failed strategy. Then Enrique Peña Nieto decided to arm self-defense groups with a strategy similar to other Latin American countries, and it didn’t work. He created vigilante groups, which only served to strengthen criminal organizations.”
In this same vein, President Sheinbaum alluded to another demand, “foreign intervention. No, Mexico is a free and sovereign country. We accept information and intelligence, but not intervention.”
Sheinbaum said that the barrage from the right wing and some pundits, business owners, or concessionaires cannot be ignored. “At no point did I hear a single condolence for the family. They were like vultures, of course. Yesterday, a statement was released by all the governors and the head of government, because we have been working with everyone, regardless of party affiliation, with everyone.”
Regarding the protests in Michoacán, Sheinbaum said they must be considered in two ways. On the one hand, he acknowledged the outrage of the people of Uruapan over the mayor’s death. “He was a very beloved man. That’s one thing; we must be sensitive to their feelings. On the other hand, there’s the political exploitation of this regrettable and condemnable situation. It’s a political exploitation where there isn’t even any empathy, given the way this onslaught is coming. It’s the exploitation of this moment by a narco-government. It’s a very obvious political use of this situation to attack the government.”
“These are two different things. One requires sensitivity, empathy, and attention; the other requires stating the facts. We’ll discuss the demonstration being organized by young people and examine the accounts behind it, which have nothing to do with a legitimate protest, hoping to attract young people by chance. It’s not legitimate. Organizations like ‘Mexicans Against Corruption,’ now linked to a business group, haven’t gained social recognition. They’re part of this scheme.”
And she questioned, “Do they really care about Michoacán? Do they really care about Uruapan? No, they’re just using it as a tool of the ‘vulture-like commentators’.”
Sheinbaum: “Vultures” on the Right are Calling for a Return to the War on Drugs
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Mexico’s President commented that, “Justice is the only way to build peace and security, social justice where there is zero impunity. That is why the judiciary was reformed.”
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Martín Mosquera and David Broder of Jacobin Magazine.
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Drugs already won the war on drugs.
Doesn’t matter how many bodies she throws into the war, nothing’s gonna change unless she deals with the huge wealth gap in the country
