Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has refused an expanded U.S. security cooperation proposal following the assassination of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodríguez. The 40-year-old mayor was shot in the historic center of Uruapan during Day of the Dead celebrations on November 2 and later died in hospital, with the gunman killed at the scene. Manzo had been under protection since December 2024, and his security detail was reinforced in May 2025, including National Guard troops.
Sheinbaum defended her administration’s approach, emphasizing intelligence-gathering and addressing root causes of violence over militarization. “We accept help in information, in intelligence, but not intervention,” she stated, rejecting calls for a more aggressive strategy akin to past drug war efforts. The president reiterated commitments to investigate the assassination to ensure accountability.
Mayor Manzo had previously criticized Michoacan Governor Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla and state police for corruption and inaction against cartels. Meanwhile, the U.S. has intensified actions against Mexican cartels, including designating three financial institutions as money-laundering concerns linked to opioid trafficking. Mexico’s finance ministry disputed the allegations, claiming no conclusive evidence was provided.
In a separate development, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed Mexico’s lawsuit seeking to hold American gun manufacturers liable for cartel violence, citing legal protections under the 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.
