Mexico’s President Sheinbaum calls Le Pen misinformed — Anadolu Agency

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum called French politician Marine Le Pen misinformed after Le Pen said that France would not allow “Mexicanization” because of the presence of drug cartels. Anadolu Agency reported this on October 29.

Sheinbaum’s response

During a morning briefing, Sheinbaum said that Le Pen was insufficiently informed. “The Mexicanization that should be brought to the whole world is the values of Mexican culture: honesty, love, solidarity, brotherhood, which the whole world needs so much today,” the president said.

Le Pen, a representative of the far-right National Rally party and a member of France’s National Assembly, launched her election campaign over the weekend, placing significant emphasis on security. She said she would not allow France to “slide into Mexicanization because of the presence of cartels” and promised to eradicate criminal organizations by treating them as terrorist groups.

Europol data and Mexico’s reaction

The report notes that the latest report by the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation, Europol, records a growing presence and influence of Latin American criminal groups in the European Union, particularly in drug trafficking and cooperation with local European mafia structures.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

At the same time, the Europol report does not mention Mexican cartels. It refers, among others, to Colombia’s Clan del Golfo, Brazil’s Primeiro Comando da Capital organization, and Ecuador’s Los Lobos cartel.

According to the agency, reports in recent months have indicated the activity of Mexican criminal organizations in France, including the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Sinaloa cartel. The latter was linked to a methamphetamine production laboratory that the French gendarmerie dismantled last year.

Controversy surrounding the term

French politicians have used the word “Mexicanization” for several years to refer to violence in France. In 2024, French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau used the term following a shooting at a restaurant.

In response, Mexico’s Embassy in France stated that the expression stigmatizes and stereotypes Mexico, retraumatizes families affected by violence, and downplays the efforts of Mexican authorities and international cooperation in combating drug trafficking.