Mexico’s Sheinbaum calls France’s Le Pen ‘misinformed’ over ‘Mexicanization’ remarks

By Jorge Antonio Rocha

MEXICO CITY (AA) - Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum responded Wednesday to remarks made by French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen during a rally, where she warned that she would not allow the “Mexicanization” of France due to the presence of drug cartels.

“She is misinformed because the ‘Mexicanization’ that should be brought to the whole world is that of the values of Mexico's culture. Of honesty, of love, of solidarity, of fraternity, which are much needed in the entire world today,” Sheinbaum said during her morning briefing.

Le Pen, a prominent figure in France’s far-right National Rally (RN) party and a member of the French National Assembly, launched her campaign over the weekend with a strong message on security policy following the US’s approach of classifying Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations and pledging a hardline stance against organized crime.

“We will not allow France to slide into Mexicanization through the presence of cartels. We will eradicate these criminal organizations without hesitation, treating them as terrorists,” she said.

According to the latest security report by the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol), the presence and influence of Latin American criminal groups in the European Union have grown, particularly in drug trafficking, with the groups forming alliances with local European mafias.

Although Le Pen referred to insecurity in Mexico and organized crime as a driving force behind violence in the country, the Europol report does not mention Mexican cartels. Instead, it cites Colombian organizations such as the Clan del Golfo, Brazil’s Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Ecuador’s Los Lobos cartel.

However, Mexican criminal organizations, including the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and the Sinaloa Cartel, have been reported operating in France in recent months. The latter has been linked to a methamphetamine laboratory dismantled last year by the French Gendarmerie.

The term “Mexicanization” has been used by French politicians for years to refer to acts of violence in France. In 2024, French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau used the term to warn of a growing wave of violence in the country following a shooting at a restaurant.

The use of the term sparked widespread indignation among Mexican officials, prompting a response from the Mexican Embassy in France.

“The use of this expression not only stigmatizes and stereotypes Mexico but also revictimizes Mexican families affected by violence. It also disregards the significant efforts made by the Mexican government to address violence in certain parts of its territory and undermines cooperation among members of the international community, including Mexico and France, to combat the scourge of drug trafficking and its deplorable consequences around the world,” it said.

Jorge Antonio Gonzalez Rocha