Intentional homicides were reduced by 24.9% during this administration

Alma E. Muñoz and Emir Olivares

La Jornada NewspaperWednesday, February 26, 2025, p. 7

From 2018 to February 24, intentional homicides decreased by 28.7 percent, from 100.5 to 71.6 per day, said the head of the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System, Marcela Figueroa. This means that there are 10 fewer homicides per day, said President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Guanajuato –governed by the PAN– remains in first place on the list of this crime. In that period it registered 241 victims, twice as many as the state of Mexico (117), which occupies second place among the seven states that concentrate 54.37 percent of murders.

Figueroa highlighted that since the beginning of this administration to date, the average number of intentional homicides has also been reduced by 24.9 percent, going from 86.9 victims in September to 62.29 in February.

In turn, the head of the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, indicated that from October 1 to October 24, 13,139 people were arrested for high-impact crimes and 6,582 firearms were seized.

He mentioned that they seized 112.8 tons of drugs, including 1,260 kilos and 1,324,924 fentanyl pills, in addition to having destroyed 329 clandestine laboratories for the production of methamphetamines in 13 states.

Likewise, they have seized 482 thousand 41 liters and 118 thousand 732 kilos of chemical substances, 352 organic synthesis reactors, 162 condensers and 77 distillers, which represents an economic impact on organized crime of more than 300 billion pesos .

Regarding progress in the national security strategy, which is to address the causes of violence, Rosa Icela Rodríguez, Secretary of the Interior, said that since December 2, almost 65 thousand visits have been made in 73 neighborhoods of municipalities with the highest incidence of crime and backlog, and more than 609 thousand health services and legal advice have been provided, among others.

In addition, he said, 91 committees, 848 peace events and 73 peace fairs have been set up in 10 municipalities in seven states. He mentioned that with the action Yes to Disarmament, Yes to Peace, 498 handguns and 122 long guns have been exchanged since January 10 to date, as well as 77 grenades and more than 13 thousand useful cartridges.

He pointed out that the ongoing national preventive campaign Stay away from drugs. Fentanyl kills you is disseminated through leaflets and posters in each neighborhood, as well as talks with neighbors.

It was also reported that the president will invite young people to a Mexican music contest that has nothing to do with the apology of violence.

Let them talk about love, heartbreak, the country, the landscape, and other things. We are going to invite all young Mexicans who like music to a contest that will last several months to find talents and promote a different vision.

He reiterated that attention to the causes has to do with ensuring that young people never have a criminal group in mind as an option, because it is not an option for life, but for death . It also has to do with zero impunity, he stressed.

▲ In the image, weapons confiscated in 2008 by the Army from the Gulf Cartel . Photo by Víctor Camacho

Arturo Sanchez Jimenez

La Jornada NewspaperWednesday, February 26, 2025, p. 7

The legal advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE), Pablo Arrocha, reported on Tuesday that in June the result of the hearing scheduled for March 4 in the Supreme Court of the United States will be known, which will determine whether the arms manufacturing companies sued by Mexico can enjoy legal immunity.

At a forum organized by the Center for Economic Research and Teaching (CIDE), Arrocha said that, regardless of the ruling, the Mexican government has designed a broader legal and political strategy to confront the great economic power of the U.S. arms industry .

The lawsuits filed in the neighboring country against manufacturers and distributors of arsenal have shown significant progress, said Arrocha. He added that the foreign ministry contemplates different scenarios, both in the Supreme Court and in the court of Tucson, Arizona, where a legal process against five stores is also taking place. In this last case, the district judge has authorized the discovery phase, which allows the collection of key evidence for the complaint.

The Supreme Court litigation is part of a lawsuit filed in 2021 by Mexico in Boston, Massachusetts, against gun manufacturers. Arrocha said that this case, along with the one in Arizona, represents an innovative legal strategy, which could open the door to more legal actions in the future. Both lawsuits are the spearheads of a process that may allow for broader legal strategies in the long term , he said.

The great force that we all face, Mexico and any other country in the region, is the great economic power of the arms industry, and it is no small thing. The way in which we can gain allies from a political perspective to counteract its interests is for the political elite to see that this issue is where their votes are going , warned Arrocha, emphasizing that the legal path has been complex and requires patience.

He explained that he has two main objectives. The first is to achieve greater controls on the sale of weapons in the United States to reduce illicit trafficking to Mexico. The second is to generate a change in the narrative about the problem. Mexico's claim does not seek to affect the Second Amendment or the right of Americans to own weapons.

Georgina Saldierna and Andrea Becerril

La Jornada NewspaperWednesday, February 26, 2025, p. 7

With 41 votes in favor and four against –from the PRI–, the Senate committee approved yesterday the opinion of the reform to strengthen national sovereignty and introduce the crime of terrorism into article 19 of the Constitution, in a session where the majority bloc warned that this change to the Magna Carta is necessary, because we are living in times of stalking and threat from a neo-imperialist power.

This is a constitutional protection against any attempt at foreign interference in internal affairs, because Mexico will not allow any power or foreign interest to decide how we will govern ourselves as Mexicans , said Morena member Lucía Trasviña.

The opposition considers the amendment to be repetitive. Guadalupe Murguía (PAN) said that her party will vote in favor of this constitutional change, although it is unnecessary and repetitive, since national sovereignty is guaranteed in articles 33, 39 and 89 of the Magna Carta.

He said that this condition does not need to be reaffirmed every time the government feels threatened, and pointed out that they would vote in favor under the principle that what is abundant does not cause harm.

Claudia Anaya (PRI) considered the wording of the reform to be very poor and highlighted that the Inter-American Court of Human Rights has indicated that it is not appropriate to maintain pretrial detention, a figure that is provided for in the ruling for those who traffic weapons and commit the crime of terrorism.

The PT member Alejandro González pointed out to those who say that the reform is unnecessary or a simulation that they need to analyze the contemporary international situation. He asked the opposition if they think that the attempt by the new United States government to take over the Panama Canal and Greenland, to want to make Canada an associated state, to try to take over Ukraine and to divide up the Gaza Strip is not enough.

The Mexican conservative right needs to update itself, because we are living in times of stalking and threat from a neo-imperial and neo-expansionist power , he warned.

The central intention of the amendment is to provide a shield to make it clear and conclusive that Mexico will not accept under any circumstances the intervention of foreign nations or any act that is detrimental to national sovereignty, such as a coup d'état, added the PT senator in the session of the Joint Committees on Constitutional Matters, Justice and Legislative Studies.

The ruling, which was read in the first reading in the plenary session and is expected to be put to a vote today, establishes that the people of Mexico will not, under any circumstances, accept interventions, interferences or any other act from abroad that is detrimental to the integrity, independence and sovereignty of the nation, such as coups d'état, interference in elections or the violation of the national territory, whether by land, water, sea or airspace. Nor will they consent to intervention in any investigation or prosecution without the express authorization and collaboration of the Mexican State, within the framework of the applicable laws.

Arturo Sanchez Jimenez

La Jornada NewspaperWednesday, February 26, 2025, p. 8

The technical secretary of the Executive Secretariat of the National Anti-Corruption System (SNA), Roberto Moreno, presented his resignation yesterday after the president of the organization, Vania Pérez Morales, asked him to do so last week, as a result of accusations of corruption and alleged irregularities during his administration.

Yesterday at noon, the governing body of the executive secretariat had scheduled a session to vote on his dismissal, but Moreno resigned before it began.

After deep reflection and prioritizing my commitment to transparency and legality, I have decided to submit my resignation as technical secretary of the Executive Secretariat of the National Anti-Corruption System , Moreno said in a message posted on social media. He assured that his departure from the organization does not result from the circumstances that, as the law states, merit the early termination of the assignment.

In recent days, the possible dismissal of Moreno has generated conflicting opinions within the SNA. On Friday, there was a rumor that he was dismissed for corruption, which he denied.

The president of the SNA – who also heads the governing body of the Sesna and the Citizen Participation Council (CPC) of the SNA – has indicated that she asked him to resign on Thursday and that he promised to hand it in, but he did not do so.

The irregularities Moreno is accused of include discretionary use of the Executive Secretariat's resources during his administration, according to Pérez Morales. He also said that the Internal Control Body (OIC) has made repeated observations to the SESNA.

Meanwhile, Magdalena Rodríguez, former president of the SNA and member of the CPC, released a statement in which she points out that the SNA's procedures were violated by asking Moreno to resign.

The document signed by other members of the SNA, such as Patricia Talavera, also a member of the Citizen Participation Council, underlines the importance of all public servants, without exception, being accountable in accordance with the principles of legality, transparency and due process.

However, it is essential that any accusation or investigation involving the SNA authorities be carried out in strict compliance with the law, guaranteeing the right to a hearing and the presumption of innocence , adds the document, which maintains that the resignation requested by the president of the CPC to the head of the Sesna should have followed these principles in the event of a duly accredited serious cause .

Nestor Jimenez

La Jornada NewspaperWednesday, February 26, 2025, p. 8

Even though the sanctioning process that Morena's National Commission for Honesty and Justice (CNHJ) started against Edgar Francisco Garza, leader of the Que sigue la Democracia group, has not yet concluded, the party body imposed precautionary measures on him, provisionally removing him from his duties as national and state councilor of the party and preventing him from participating in any event of the party.

Last week, the party's justice body announced the beginning of an ex officio process against the Morena member, after the group he heads - created in 2021 and from which the popular consultation and the revocation of mandate were promoted, which was also promoted by the cherry party - presented to the National Electoral Institute (INE) its formal request to become a national political party.

In file CNHJ-NAL-031/2025 of the Justice Commission, it is noted that the party statutes prohibit its members from participating in or promoting political options other than Morena.

In response, the party agreed to begin the sanctioning process, which could lead to Garza's expulsion from membership, and imposed measures such as restricting him from participating in any process of renewal of internal leadership positions within Morena . At the same time, it ordered him to refrain from actively or passively intervening in any event organized by any political party or popular representative, pre-candidacy or candidacy other than Morena .

The document states that Garza justified that the creation of a new party would not be an act against the cherry, but rather an option for those who seek to support the Fourth Transformation, but who do not wish to be part of the party.

The CNHJ highlighted that Morena's statutes establish that its members must comply with the obligation of the duty of loyalty .