MEXICO · POLITICS
Key Facts
- —What is happening Mexico’s foreign minister, Roberto Velasco, told the Senate on Wednesday, 14 October, that the US decision not to renew the USMCA for 16 years has nothing to do with the Rocha Moya extradition request.
- —Why it matters The USMCA is the trade pact that governs US trade with Mexico and Canada and now faces annual reviews, so any link to the extradition dispute would raise the stakes for US carmakers, farmers and investors.
- —The numbers Velasco said monthly fentanyl seizures at the US southern border fell 67% between October 2024 and August 2026, five FBI Ten Most Wanted fugitives were captured, and more than 35,000 firearms were removed.
- —Who is who Velasco is Mexico’s foreign minister, confirmed by the Senate on 8 April; Marko Cortés of the conservative National Action Party (PAN) questioned him; Rubén Rocha Moya is Sinaloa’s governor on leave, charged by US prosecutors in April, which he denies.
- —What to watch Whether Washington answers Velasco’s claims, and whether the USMCA review, with public comment open until 12 January 2027, or the pending Rocha Moya extradition request moves next.
- —Power Index Mexico ranks 2nd of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 71.4 points (October 2026 edition).
- —What it means for you US businesses with Mexican operations should follow the USMCA talks and the extradition case separately, as Mexico insists, while 16 diplomatic notes on Mexicans hurt in US custody keep immigration enforcement a live issue.
Mexico’s foreign minister said the US decision on the USMCA has nothing to do with the Rocha Moya extradition case. He also cited a 67% fall in fentanyl seizures at the US border.
Mexico’s foreign minister denied any USMCA link to the Rocha Moya extradition case before the Senate on Wednesday, 14 October. Roberto Velasco said talks with Washington run through formal tables that are not mixed with political or security issues.
He also said monthly fentanyl seizures at the US southern border fell 67%. Mexico, he added, has captured five people from the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list.
Both figures are Velasco’s own claims and were not independently verified. For US readers, the hearing shows how Mexico frames the USMCA, extradition, fentanyl and immigration custody.
No USMCA Link, Velasco Tells Senators
Velasco appeared before the full Senate for the annual review of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s second government report. The Senate confirmed him as foreign minister on 8 April, Zeta Tijuana reported.
Senator Marko Cortés of the conservative National Action Party (PAN) asked if declining to extradite Rocha Moya cost Mexico the USMCA extension. Velasco replied that the halt has nothing to do with extraditions, La Jornada reported.
Proceso reported that Velasco called the pact unrelated to political or security issues. He attributed the US decision to a change in Washington’s global trade policy.
US prosecutors in New York charged Rocha Moya and nine other Mexican officials on 29 April with drug trafficking and weapons offences. The Justice Department says the defendants are presumed innocent, and Rocha Moya rejects the charges, Por Esto reported.
Rocha Moya is on leave as governor, and Mexico has not handed him over. President Claudia Sheinbaum said on 2 September that Washington has not supplied evidence for its request, Por Esto and Grupo Animal reported.
The US Trade Representative said on 1 July that Washington did not agree to renew the USMCA in its current form. The pact stays in force with annual reviews that can run until 2036, Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard says, Publimetro reported.
Sheinbaum said on 12 October that talks continue without a final deal, as covered in Mexico’s Sheinbaum Says No USMCA Deal Yet. Velasco closed by saying cooperation and sovereignty “advance together”.
Fentanyl, Firearms and FBI Fugitives
Velasco said monthly fentanyl seizures on the US southern border fell 67% between October 2024 and August 2026. Proyecto Puente and López-Dóriga reported that he credited the fall to cooperation with US Customs and Border Protection.
He said Mexico has captured five people from the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list, which he called unprecedented in the region. He added that more than 35,000 firearms have been removed from circulation, most of them from the United States.
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Mexico’s Notes on Mexicans Hurt in US Custody
Velasco said Mexico sent 16 diplomatic notes to the US State Department and filed 20 complaints with the prosecutors handling the cases. They concern Mexicans injured or killed in US custody or during immigration operations.
Consular staff make 36 visits a day to US detention centres, La Jornada and Infobae reported. Velasco said the government has stepped up efforts to clarify each case, which “has a name and surname”.
Opposition Attacks and a Single Security Channel
Senator Lilly Téllez of the PAN said Mexico is seen abroad as a failed state, Infobae reported. She also accused the ruling Morena government of “narcopolitics”, and called security chief Omar García Harfuch the “real foreign minister”.
Velasco said international security cooperation has a single entry point, the foreign ministry, as the law sets. Proceso read that as an indirect reference to disputes involving the governors of Chihuahua and Querétaro.
What It Means for US Readers
Mexico’s official line is that USMCA talks and extradition requests run on separate tracks. Carmakers, farmers and investors face unfinished talks, and Washington takes public comment on the 2027 joint review until 12 January 2027.
Immigration custody is the second link for US readers, because Mexico has filed 16 diplomatic notes and 20 complaints. Velasco said Mexican consuls make 36 visits a day to US detention centres.
On security, the fentanyl and firearms figures are Mexico’s account of its cooperation with US agencies. Readers should treat them as claims until US customs and law enforcement data confirm them.
Earlier coverage of US pressure on Mexican governors is in US Drug Czar Warns Mexican Governors Who Aid Cartels. That article also mentions the Rocha Moya case.
What Is Not Known
A US government response to Velasco’s remarks was not available on Thursday, 15 October. The US Trade Representative’s 1 July statement does not mention extradition or Rocha Moya, and no US reply was found.
The fentanyl, FBI and firearms figures are Velasco’s own claims, and the underlying US data were not checked. Proceso reported that he gave no numbers on fentanyl, while La Jornada, Infobae, Proyecto Puente and López-Dóriga carried the 67% figure.
Proceso calls Rocha Moya a former governor, but La Jornada and Grupo Animal describe him as governor on leave. The reports reviewed do not say which prosecutors received Mexico’s 20 complaints.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Roberto Velasco say about the USMCA?
He told the Senate on 14 October that the US decision on the USMCA has nothing to do with extraditions. He said trade talks run on formal tables kept apart from political and security issues.
Who is Rocha Moya?
He is on leave as governor of Sinaloa, and US prosecutors charged him on 29 April with drug trafficking and weapons offences. The charges are allegations, he rejects them, and Mexico has not extradited him.
Is the USMCA still in force?
Yes, the US Trade Representative said on 1 July that the agreement remains in force. The US did not agree to renew it for a new 16-year term, so annual reviews follow.
What fentanyl figure did Velasco give?
He said monthly fentanyl seizures on the US southern border fell 67% between October 2024 and August 2026. That figure is his own claim, and it was not independently checked.
What are Mexico’s 16 diplomatic notes about?
They went to the US State Department over Mexicans injured or killed in US custody or during immigration operations. Mexico also filed 20 complaints with the prosecutors handling the cases.
Sources: La Jornada: Cooperación y soberanía avanzan juntas, canciller Roberto Velasco, 14 October 2026; Proceso: Relación con Trump se conduce con serenidad y firmeza, afirma canciller Roberto Velasco ante el Senado, 14 October 2026; Infobae: Durante comparecencia de Roberto Velasco en el Senado, Lilly Téllez afirma que el verdadero canciller es Omar García Harfuch, 14 October 2026; Proyecto Puente: México atendió más de 142 mil casos de protección consular en un año, 14 October 2026; López-Dóriga Digital: Canciller Velasco comparece ante el Senado, reitera la soberanía nacional, 14 October 2026; Senate PAN group: Senador Marko Cortés Mendoza para formular preguntas al titular de la Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores, Roberto Velasco Álvarez, 14 October 2026; Senate PAN group: Senadora Lilly Téllez, para formular preguntas al titular de la Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores, Roberto Velasco Álvarez, 14 October 2026; Publimetro: Se acabó el T-MEC? Estados Unidos rechaza renovarlo y abre etapa de revisiones anuales, 1 July 2026; US Trade Representative: Ambassador Greer Issues Statement on the USMCA Joint Review, 1 July 2026; US Trade Representative: USTR Seeks Public Comment on the 2027 Joint Review of USMCA, 2 October 2026; US Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York: Governor of Sinaloa and Nine Other Current and Former Mexican Officials Charged With Drug Trafficking and Weapons Offenses, 29 April 2026; OCCRP: US Indicts Governor of Sinaloa and Nine Other Mexican Officials for Drug Trafficking, 30 April 2026; Grupo Animal: EU sigue sin presentar pruebas contra Rocha Moya, Sheinbaum, 2 September 2026; Por Esto: Claudia Sheinbaum exige a EU pruebas contra Rubén Rocha Moya, 2 September 2026; Zeta Tijuana: Senado ratifica a Roberto Velasco Álvarez como titular de la SRE, 8 April 2026 (all accessed 15 October 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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