Trump lands in China: diplomacy or political theater?

The United States Department of State returned to the Mexican ambassador in Washington, Roberto Lazzeri, the diplomatic notes that sought to direct the actions of US agents on North American soil.

“Kozak returned letters from Mexico intended to direct the actions of US government personnel operating in sovereign territory of the United States. He also recommended that Mexico express its concerns through diplomatic channels, as is customary,” the Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs reported in X.

The meeting was led by senior official Michael Kozak with the Mexican ambassador, according to the same agency.

Bilateral tension

Mexico had sent those letters as part of a series of protests over the treatment of migrants. President Claudia Sheinbaum stated that so far these letters “have not produced results.”

The relationship between both countries is going through a delicate moment. In addition to immigration differences, there is a suspicion that the FBI participated in the capture of an organized crime leader, which would have violated Mexican sovereignty.

The United States is Mexico’s main trading partner: 80% of its exports are destined for that country, with which it shares a free trade agreement.

Actions of the Foreign Ministry

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) reported that, following what was announced by the president, the Embassy and the consulates presented requests to state prosecutors’ offices. This occurs after the death of 17 compatriots in custody or in operations of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) was reported.

Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco explained that the procedures were carried out last Monday, although he did not specify the states where the complaints were filed.

New testimony in the investigation into the tax evasion network within the Ministry of the Navy indicates that one of its heads sought the support of Rafael Ojeda Durán, Secretary of the Navy during López Obrador’s six-year term, to authorize a ship with smuggled fuel.

After the seizure of the Challenge Procyon ship in March 2025 in Tampico, Miguel Ángel Solano Ruiz, alias “Capitán Sol,” told a military officer from the customs in Guaymas, Sonora, that he would speak with Ojeda Durán to “control the situation” of the Torn Agnes, another vessel loaded with illegal fuel that had arrived at the border port.

The new testimony

The witness, identified with the initials J.C.S.P., belongs to the Navy and worked with ship captain Luis Alfredo García Arellano Villegas, then in charge of the Guaymas customs. According to their statement, to which EL PAÍS had access, this duo managed the entry of the Seaways Citron ship in October 2023, an operation that “was already agreed upon in central areas” and had authorization from the Farías Laguna brothers, nephews of Ojeda Durán.

At that time, Captain Sol indicated how to distribute a bribe of 2.5 million pesos between civil and military customs officials. The statement details that they kept the money in the weapons storage room of the premises.

The defense of Ojeda Durán’s nephews—Roberto Manuel and Fernando Farías Laguna, accused of leading the plot—asked the authorities for the former secretary to testify. The request, submitted in early June, was not granted. The lawyers argued that the new testimony suggests that Ojeda Durán not only knew the facts, but “presumably could be related.”

Another key evidence is the handwritten letter that Fernando Rubén Guerrero Alcántar, a soldier involved, gave to Ojeda Durán in June 2024. In an audio published by Aristegui Noticias, Ojeda Durán is heard offering him a kind of pact of silence: “Either we uncover all this and I don’t care who falls… or we try to close it here ourselves.” Guerrero Alcántar was deprived of his life five months later, in November 2024, and his letter did not reach the Prosecutor’s Office until July 2025.

The Government has tried to separate Ojeda Durán from the case, but the dates and facts place him at the center. The Prosecutor’s Office did not respond to questions about this new evidence; The Secretary of the Navy said that it maintains collaboration but is not the “competent authority” to report.

Trump denounces electoral vulnerabilities and orders declassification

United States President Donald Trump offered a prime-time message from the White House. He warned that the security of the electoral system “falls catastrophically short.”

He announced the declassification of thousands of intelligence documents. According to Trump, these files would show that China accessed the electoral rolls of tens of millions of voters in 18 states since 2020. The goal, he said, was to harm his campaign. He also accused members of the “deep state” of Joe Biden’s administration of covering up that alleged interference.

At another point, Trump pointed out that an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) detected nearly 278,000 non-citizens illegally registered on state electoral rolls. It ordered DHS to notify states to delete those records immediately. Additionally, he urged the Senate to pass the SAVE Act, which seeks to ensure that only American citizens can vote.

The president also presented CIA reports on alleged plans by the Nicolás Maduro regime to manipulate parliamentary elections. He described the electronic voting systems as “worse than that of any third world country” because of their exposure to external manipulations. He confirmed that he asked the FBI to investigate and prosecute those responsible.

TV networks refuse to broadcast the speech

The main broadcast television networks—ABC, NBC and CNN—decided not to broadcast the speech live. They relegated it to their streaming platforms. Trump reacted with fury: he accused the media of participating in a plot and demanded the revocation of their broadcasting licenses.