Mexican President Presses Trump Admin on 'El Chapo' Family's Entering The U.S.: 'They Need To Explain Themselves'

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum demanded answers from the Trump administration regarding its recent acceptance of 17 relatives of drug kingpin Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán and his son, Ovidio Guzmán, both prominent leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel.

"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." She emphasized the urgency for transparency, particularly since the Trump administration recently designated Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations.

Among those crossing into U.S. territory through the San Ysidro border crossing was Griselda López, Ovidio's mother 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.

Oscar Hagelsieb, former head of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Mexico's Ciudad Juarez, added to this perspective, stating that these family members likely won't be the last to enter the U.S. under similar circumstances. "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," Hagelsieb told Mexican journalist Luis Chaparro.

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.