On Saturday, Montserrat Caballero Ramírez, former mayor of Tijuana, Baja California, confirmed that U.S. authorities revoked her visa. However, she attempted to justify the decision by claiming it was a “linguistic dilemma.”
In a video shared on her social media accounts, the current member of the Labor Party (PT) responded to a report published by Semanario Zeta, titled “Montserrat’s Visa Was Revoked, Not Retained as She Claims,” confirming the information.
During a live broadcast on her Facebook profile, the former Morena member stated that the loss of her visa resulted from a linguistic misunderstanding. According to her, the revocation was linked to the start of her immigration process toward obtaining U.S. citizenship, rather than any investigation by U.S. authorities.
“If I were under a serious investigation, such as for fuel theft or money laundering in the United States, they would not revoke my visa. Instead, they would reject my residency application. My visa is not necessary for what I am applying for. So why is my residency process still ongoing?” Caballero Ramírez said during the more than eight-minute video.
Despite Visa Revocation, She Still Seeks the Baja California Governorship
On May 27, 2023, the former mayor of Tijuana married former MLS professional referee Said Ravanfar and subsequently stepped away from public life.
She later registered as a candidate seeking the Labor Party’s nomination for the governorship of Baja California in the 2027 elections, within the coalition led by Morena.
She Downplays the Visa Revocation
Caballero also sought to minimize the significance of losing her immigration document, insisting that she had already explained that she no longer had a visa because she was pursuing U.S. citizenship.
“I said it when I decided to return to the public spotlight,” said the former mayor, who governed Tijuana from 2021 to 2024 under Morena.
“Now they say I lied because my visa wasn’t retained—it was revoked. They’re using a linguistic issue because they want people to think I’m like them and that I lied. The linguistic issue is simply the choice of words. I used the word ‘removed,’ but I’m not seeking a visa. Whether you use ‘revoke,’ ‘remove,’ or ‘renew,’ the point is that I don’t have it and I can’t cross the border. Use whatever word you want. For the purposes of my process, the revocation is because I’m going through a residency process. That’s why they removed or revoked my visa,” she said.
She Blames Tijuana Officials for Keeping Her in Mexico
Caballero stated that while processing her U.S. citizenship through marriage, she chose to remain in Mexico while awaiting the outcome because of legal proceedings and investigations involving Tijuana’s municipal government, according to Semanario Zeta.
According to the publication, those investigations are connected to the administration led by Mayor Ismael Burgueño and involve Abdiel Gutiérrez and Municipal Comptroller Teresita Balderas.
“I would have waited there, but thanks to Comptroller Teresita, I had to stay here to deal with the legal proceedings she involved me in. If I had gone to the United States to wait for my citizenship process, I wouldn’t have been able to return to Mexico, and they would have taken advantage of the situation by saying I fled. They would have claimed that I escaped with millions,” she explained.
Livestream Experiences Technical Problems
Caballero’s livestream, during which she confirmed the revocation of her visa, experienced connection issues and ended abruptly without a farewell to the more than 17,000 viewers who were watching.
These developments could complicate Caballero Ramírez’s chances of competing for the Baja California governorship in 2027, although the final decision will rest with the Labor Party and, ultimately, Morena.
Source: infobae
