In the wake of a mayor’s assassination in Michoacan, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has firmly rejected any shifts in her administration’s security strategies. The attack once again spotlights the ongoing challenges her government faces in tackling criminal organizations that extend their influence across large swathes of the nation.
The brutal killing of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodríguez has sent shockwaves throughout the country. In response, President Sheinbaum defended her current policies, claiming they have successfully reduced homicide rates. She criticized her political opponents for what she described as opportunistic behavior, likening them to vultures in the aftermath of the tragedy.
“Some voices are calling for militarization and a return to the war on drugs—an approach that has proven ineffective,” Sheinbaum stated. She emphasized her commitment to enhancing the presence of security forces in Michoacan and other affected regions, while also focusing on strengthening intelligence and investigative efforts as well as tackling the root causes of violence.
Michoacan remains one of Mexico’s most violent states, plagued by fierce battles among various drug cartels and criminal groups vying for control over territory, drug trafficking routes, and other illegal enterprises.
Mayor Manzo, aged 40, succumbed to his injuries in a hospital on Saturday after being shot in Uruapan’s historic center amid Day of the Dead festivities. The assailant was also killed at the scene.
Since December 2024, just three months after he assumed office, Manzo had been under protective measures. His security detail was bolstered last May with municipal police officers and 14 National Guard members.
In recent months, the mayor had publicly appealed to Sheinbaum on social media for help confronting the cartels and criminal groups. He had also accused Michoacan Gov. Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla, a Sheinbaum ally, and the state police of corruption for failing to stop various criminal groups that operate in the state, including the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and La Familia Michoacana, which the Trump administration designated as terrorist organizations in February.
Regarding Manzo’s killing, the president assured that “there will be no impunity” and that investigations will be carried out to find those responsible.
In reference to a proposal made by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau for greater security cooperation, Sheinbaum said “Mexico is a free and sovereign country” and added that “we accept help in information, in intelligence, but not intervention.”
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