Mexico · Politics
Key Facts
- —The trigger On August 13, 2026, Andy López Beltrán said the US revoked his visa, in a letter to Donald Trump.
- —The accusation He named Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau, calling the move political, not legal.
- —The reason Washington gave no public, case-specific reason; his letter says there is no proof of any wrongdoing.
- —The pattern Reuters reported at least 50 Mexican politicians, mostly from Morena, have lost US visas since 2025.
- —The reaction President Claudia Sheinbaum called it possible political interference on August 14, 2026.
Mexico’s president called the move foreign interference, as Reuters counts at least 50 Morena-linked figures stripped of US visas since 2025.
Andrés Manuel López Beltrán, son of former Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, says the United States has revoked his visa. Indeed, he made the claim in a public letter to President Donald Trump, posted on Instagram on August 13, 2026.
His father has stayed quiet so far, but President Claudia Sheinbaum called the move possible political interference.
What López Obrador’s son says happened
First, Andy López Beltrán said US officials told him his visa to enter the country had been cancelled. Then he revealed the news himself, in a letter posted to his Instagram account late on August 13, 2026.
Notably, the letter was dated from Teapa, in Tabasco, his family’s home state in southern Mexico.
The letter to Trump
Rather than stay silent, he addressed the message directly to US President Donald Trump. In it, moreover, he named Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau.
He also said Landau styles himself ‘the visa remover,’ and that the two had ‘ordered’ his entry permit removed.
A political motive, he argues
Above all, López Beltrán framed the decision as political rather than legal. Indeed, he called it ‘petty and propagandistic,’ and compared the style to Hitler’s.
Furthermore, he insisted the officials held ‘no proof’ of any immoral or criminal act by him.
Who Andy López Beltrán is
For context, he is one of AMLO’s sons and a prominent figure in the ruling Morena party. Until May 25, 2026, moreover, he served as Morena’s national organization secretary.
Commentators often described him as the party’s ‘number two,’ although that is an informal label.
Why Washington acted, officially nobody knows
So far, the US government has not given a public, case-specific reason for the revocation. In general, State Department policy allows visas to be pulled for ‘activities contrary to the national interest.
However, no official has tied that language to López Beltrán by name.
Part of a wider pattern
Meanwhile, his case is not isolated, according to reporting by Reuters. In fact, the agency found at least 50 Mexican politicians and officials have lost US visas since 2025.
Most of them, notably, belong to Morena, the party López Obrador founded and once led.
Sheinbaum calls it interference
Soon after, President Claudia Sheinbaum addressed the case at her morning press conference on August 14, 2026. She called the pattern ‘a sense of interference in Mexican politics,’ because she saw no other explanation.
Then she added a pointed line: ‘It is the people who define recognition, not a visa.
Mexico’s line on sovereignty
Naturally, Sheinbaum tied her answer to a familiar theme for her government. ‘In Mexico, the people of Mexico decide,’ she said, stressing national sovereignty.
In short, she argued that a foreign travel document confers no political legitimacy at home.
What the letter does not prove
Still, the revocation rests largely on López Beltrán’s own account and on media reports. Meanwhile, Washington has released no document, and the reason remains publicly unknown.
As a result, his claim of a political motive is his interpretation, not an established fact.
What happens next
For now, the affair is a war of words between a Morena leader and Washington. Whether the US explains its decision, or reverses it, however, remains to be seen.
Either way, the episode adds fresh strain to an already tense US-Mexico relationship.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Whose visa did the US revoke?
Andrés Manuel López Beltrán, known as Andy, the son of former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador. He said he was notified in mid-August 2026.
Did the US say why?
No. Washington gave no public, case-specific reason. State Department policy allows revocations for ‘activities contrary to the national interest,’ but no official linked that to him by name.
Did AMLO write the letter to Trump?
No. The letter was written by his son, Andy López Beltrán, and posted on Instagram on August 13, 2026. The former president himself has not publicly commented.
How did the Mexican government react?
President Claudia Sheinbaum called it possible political interference and said ‘it is the people who define recognition, not a visa.
Connected Coverage
Sources: El País; Infobae; Reuters; Le Figaro.
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