President Claudia Sheinbaum said no joint operations with United States agencies are conducted within Mexico, and clarified that the arrest of former Canadian athlete Ryan Wedding was not the result of a bilateral operation, as claimed by FBI Director Kash Patel, but rather a voluntary surrender at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City.
“There are no joint operations in Mexico. U.S. agents, whether from the FBI or any other agency, are very clear about their limitations, which are established by the Constitution and by the National Security Law,” the President indicated during her morning press conference on January 26.
Sheinbaum explained that Patel’s visit to the country’s capital took place in the context of meetings related to security agreements between both nations, and recalled that days earlier Mexican federal forces had arrested one of the ten most wanted criminals sought by the United States.
At the same time, she explained that during the early hours of that same day, Wedding voluntarily went to the U.S. Embassy in Mexico, considering it preferable to surrender in light of open legal proceedings against him within the United States.
She indicated that after Patel’s return to the United States, the FBI director stated that the arrest had been the result of a joint operation, a version that was initially denied by Minister of Security and Citizen Protection Omar García Harfuch, and later by the U.S. ambassador to Mexico himself.
As proof of the voluntary surrender, the President showed a post published by Wedding himself on social media, in which he appears in front of the diplomatic headquarters moments before presenting himself to authorities.
Sheinbaum emphasized that the bilateral relationship on security matters is based on coordination and information sharing, but not on the execution of joint operations within the country.
“We would not allow that, we do not agree with it, and I have stated this several times personally to President Trump,” she said.
She added that when U.S. authorities provide information about individuals with open legal cases in their country, Mexico acts in accordance with the law to detain them.
Likewise, she explained that the Mexican government requests extraditions or deportations when dealing with targets who are located in the United States.
“Furthermore, if we have important targets there, if it is known where they are, with some information available or if it is imperative for Mexico to detain them and they live in the United States, then we request their extradition or deportation, if they are Mexican. That is the rule, there is nothing more, there are no joint operations,” she emphasized.
“Who operates in Mexico? Mexico,” the President concluded.
