Ricardo Pascoe Pierce
Contrary to what Sheinbaum says, in this particular case the visa does define the person and his political group. The United States’ revocation of Andrés Manuel López Beltrán’s visa defines the Morena elite. Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s brother put it well: “They’re after my brother, the former president.” That is probably true, and they are also after Sheinbaum—not to remove her from office, but to limit her influence and that of the 4T project.
A U.S. court may charge López Beltrán with criminal activities related to fuel theft, which, according to statements filed with the Attorney General’s Office (FGR), appear to be based on fact. However, the reason would not be so much his criminal conduct to enrich himself and his father, but rather that this activity was carried out in conjunction with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and, therefore, bolstered the activities of a terrorist organization—according to the new legal classification the United States applies to Mexican drug trafficking organizations. López Beltrán is accused of being a partner in drug trafficking.
Fuel theft may be the pretext, but the underlying reason is that the patriarch’s ascension to the presidency ushered in a new era of close alliances between drug cartels and Morena, as the ruling political party. The public justification was a platform of peace and justice: “hugs, not bullets.” A brilliant formulation devised to explain why the Armed Forces and the intelligence system received a presidential directive not to confront or investigate the activities of drug cartels during his six-year term.
The United States chose the emblematic case of this political-electoral relationship with organized crime to let Mexico’s Morena government know that it was aware of its operational ties to drug trafficking. It goes without saying that the information in the United States’ possession comes from Los Chapitos and Ismael Zambada himself. The indictment against the governor of Sinaloa and nine associates caused a stir among the Morena elite. They knew the information was true, and they knew what was coming next. For that reason, the instruction given to Sheinbaum was clear: neither Rocha nor his people are to be handed over, because then they’ll come for us. Sheinbaum received Palenque’s instruction so beautifully simply that she repeated it, word for word, in her speech at the Monument to the Revolution. “If we hand one over, they’ll come for more…” she repeated militantly and with great obedience. In any case, two of those targeted fled to the United States.
With his characteristic cunning, President López Obrador set out to transform the Mexican political system, from its foundations up to the Constitution. The guiding principle behind this transformation was the need to eliminate both political alternation and the obligation of transparency to have the entire state apparatus at his disposal to “pacify” the nation through a new triumvirate composed of the highly personalized Morena party, the national Armed Forces subjugated by corruption and drug trafficking—which function as a parallel economy with its own firepower.
He sought to pave the way for his reelection through a recall referendum, as Evo Morales and Hugo Chávez had done before him. But his vote count was pitiful, despite the enormous resources he poured into that effort, and he failed. He then set his sights on Plan C: taking control of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, along with the independent bodies responsible for transparency and accountability.
Furthermore, he set out to undermine the electoral bodies by infiltrating them with members of his party. He was entirely successful. This allowed him to take control of the entire National Congress in 2024, along with the Presidency of the Republic, which went to Claudia Sheinbaum. Drug cartels provided funding and support for all Morena candidates in 2024, including the presidential candidate.
All the alarm bells went off in Washington. Its partner south of the border had managed to consolidate a nation-state founded on a triumvirate that includes drug trafficking as one of its central pillars. At the same time, it was pursuing a foreign policy of close friendship and cooperation with nations and blocs that are direct adversaries of the United States.
That is, in essence, the reason behind the U.S. decision to revoke the visa of the individual popularly known as Andy. Can we expect further actions? Of course. There is a situation of low-intensity conflict between Mexico and the United States. And the Morena leadership knows it. They also know that the Trojan horse is already embedded within their ranks.
Morena has called for “202 popular assemblies this weekend” to report on the political situation facing “the country,” suggesting that the Andy issue is a problem for all Mexicans. It is not. It is, however, a problem for Morena’s leadership, because they are the ones who agreed to pursue an alliance with the drug cartels. And they are the ones who will have to pay the price for their criminal conduct—not Mexicans, and certainly not the Mexican nation.
@enelfilo_mx
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