Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday at her press conference at the National Palace in Mexico City that the United States has rejected 36 extradition requests from Mexico due to a lack of evidence, and therefore advocated applying the same criteria to the accusations against 10 Mexicans, including the governor of Sinaloa, Ruben Rocha Moya. Phot by Sashenka Gutierrez/EPA
May 14 (UPI) — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said the United States has rejected at least 36 urgent detention requests submitted her country for extradition, citing insufficient evidence.
During her Thursday morning news conference, Sheinbaum used the figure to defend her administration’s position related to judicial demands from Washington.
“There are 36 cases where the United States denied Mexico’s request to urgently detain a person for extradition purposes. Why? Because of a lack of evidence,” she said.
Sheinbaum argued that “the same rules must apply to everyone.” If U.S. courts reject Mexican extradition requests because they lack sufficient evidence, Mexico has the sovereign right to demand strong proof before arresting its own citizens, she said.
Her remarks came in response to pressure from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, which is seeking the arrest and extradition of 10 Mexican officials. Among them is Sinaloa Gov. Rubén Rocha Moya of the ruling Morena party over alleged ties to the Sinaloa Cartel and a faction known as “Los Chapitos,” accusations Rocha has strongly denied.
Sheinbaum defended the case by invoking Mexico’s sovereignty and demanding that Washington present conclusive evidence against the accused officials before any arrests are ordered.
According to local media reports, Mexican authorities earlier this week sought extradition of dual nationals living in the United States who are allegedly involved in crimes committed in Mexico, including the disappearance of the 43 Ayotzinapa students and fuel smuggling operations.
The president said the Mexican government must act in accordance with the law, the Constitution and the “defense of sovereignty.” She also responded to criticism surrounding Rocha’s case by stressing the importance of supporting accusations with evidence.
Sheinbaum emphasized that her government will not act automatically or based on political pressure from foreign agencies. She said Mexico does not seek to damage relations with the United States and will maintain the same standard of requiring evidence regardless of the political affiliation of the accused.
“If it were a sitting governor from another political party that we do not belong to, we would do exactly the same thing,” she said.
Sheinbaum said she instructed Deputy Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco to provide details about the extradition cases requested from the United States and said the list will be presented next week.
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