Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer slammed the Trump administration over its apparent deal with drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman and his son Ovidio that saw over a dozen of his family members cross into the United States earlier this month.
"If you're related to El Chapo, Donald Trump says, 'Come right in. Welcome to America.' He'll roll out the red carpet," Schumer said, as reported by The Hill.
"What message does this send to other drug lords, criminals, and terrorists? Where are our Republican colleagues on this? Where is the outrage from the other side of the aisle, who say they want to prevent criminals from crossing our borders?" the senator added.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is also demanding answers from the Trump administration, signaling it was not aware of any ongoing conversations between the two parties.
"They need to explain themselves first," Sheinbaum said during a passage of her daily press conference on Wednesday. "We still don't have any official explanation or public details about why this family was permitted entry into the United States."
Among the 17 people who crossed into U.S. territory through the San Ysidro border crossing was Griselda López, mother of Ovidio and El Chapo's former wife.
Ovidio Guzmán was extradited to the U.S. in September 2023 following his capture by Mexican forces in January of that year. He is scheduled to plead guilty to charges of drug trafficking and money laundering at a hearing in Chicago on July 9.
Mexican Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch has openly suggested that this transfer likely stems from ongoing negotiations between Ovidio Guzmán and the U.S. Department of Justice. "Clearly, if Guzmán's family has moved into the U.S., it indicates some form of negotiation or agreement with the Department of Justice," Harfuch stated.
Analysts see the Guzmán family's relocation as a calculated strategic move rather than a surrender. They suggest Ovidio and select relatives may be cooperating with U.S. authorities, potentially receiving witness protection or other legal benefits, while family members like Iván Archivaldo and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán remain in Mexico to oversee cartel operations.
Moreover, Oscar Hagelsieb, former head of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Ciudad Juárez, said in a recent interview that the episode may be tied to a humanitarian parole program offered as part of Ovidio Guzmán López's plea agreement—potentially paving the way for more family members to come to the United States in the future.
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