Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is pressing the Trump administration for an explanation after 17 relatives of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and his son, Ovidio Guzmán, were allowed into the United States.
“They Need to Explain Themselves”
“They need to explain themselves first,” Sheinbaum said during her daily press conference Wednesday. “We still don’t have any official explanation or public details about why this family was permitted entry into the United States.”
Her comments come amid heightened tensions over cross-border crime, as the Trump administration has labeled Mexican cartels terrorist organizations. Sheinbaum said the need for transparency is urgent.
Extradited Son, Arriving Family
Among the arrivals was Griselda López, Ovidio’s mother and El Chapo’s former wife. The family crossed into the U.S. at the San Ysidro port of entry last Friday.
Ovidio Guzmán was extradited to the U.S. in September 2023 after his January arrest. He is due to plead guilty to drug trafficking and money laundering charges on July 9 in Chicago.
U.S. DOJ Deal Suspected
Mexico’s Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said the family’s arrival suggests a larger deal may be in place. “Clearly, if Guzmán’s family has moved into the U.S., it indicates some form of negotiation or agreement with the Department of Justice,” he said.
Former Homeland Security Investigations chief Oscar Hagelsieb echoed the idea, telling journalist Luis Chaparro, “What I can tell you, and I know it from a high-level source, is that they won’t be the last to receive such benefits.”
A Strategic Relocation?
Analysts believe the move is not a surrender but a strategic shift. They speculate Ovidio and select relatives may be cooperating with U.S. authorities in exchange for legal protections, while others — such as Iván Archivaldo and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán — remain in Mexico to lead cartel operations.
For more on this story, stay tuned to Que Onda Magazine.