ormer U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar insisted that the aircraft used to transport Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada to the United States two years ago did not belong to U.S. authorities, and stated that the arrest should be regarded as a victory “against those who bring so much violence.”
“The truth is the truth,” he reiterated when questioned about President Claudia Sheinbaum’s claim regarding the participation of U.S. agents in the operation to detain El Mayo. He also argued that greater attention should be focused on the country’s security situation.
When people say that everything is very safe, “that is not reality… Ask the people whether they feel safe; that is where the truth lies. That is what should be discussed at this time, not two drug traffickers, which was something that happened because of them, not because of the government of the United States or Mexico,” he said.
During a virtual press conference announcing the Spanish-language edition of his book Fronteras, mi lucha por un América unida (Borders, My Struggle for a United America), Salazar argued that politics represents the greatest threat to the bilateral relationship. Nevertheless, he expressed “great hopes” for President Sheinbaum because “I know her, and I know some members of her team very well, such as Omar García Harfuch,” Mexico’s Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection.
In his view, politics “controls the message and the reality of what is happening, it controls what is said about security.” As an example, he pointed to the illegal trafficking of firearms into Mexico, which “kills many Mexicans. Is that acknowledged here (in the United States)? I don’t think so.”
The former ambassador also emphasized that both countries have always cooperated on security matters, although he acknowledged that greater transparency is still needed.
He noted that Sinaloa “has a great deal of violence,” but added that other states, such as Tamaulipas, face similar conditions. He recalled that, at one point, an embassy employee and members of the embassy staff were nearly stopped by cartel members “who pointed rifles at their vehicle.” He also said he learned of a mayor in that region who had to cross into the United States “to sleep on this side because the cartels at that time, which still exist, made it too dangerous for him to stay there.”
Salazar also discussed the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA), stating that it should remain in force. He used the presentation of his book to address the political transition in the United States in the context of the upcoming midterm elections in November and the presidential election in 2028.
“At this moment, the United States is experiencing a major political crisis because the current president is trying to divide this nation in a way I have never seen in my lifetime.”
He added that, for change to occur, “the diversity within our community will be part of that strength.”
The book Fronteras, mi lucha por un América unida (Borders, My Struggle for a United America), published by Miguel Ángel Porrúa, will be presented by Salazar in September.
Source: jornada
