The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, responded firmly to the statements of the United States Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, who accused her of “encouraging violent protests” in Los Angeles following the immigration raids ordered by the government of Donald Trump.
In a message posted this Tuesday on her official X (formerly Twitter) account, the president of Mexico described the accusation as “absolutely false” and shared the video of her statement made since Monday in her morning conference where, far from inciting violence, she explicitly condemns violent acts and calls on the Mexican community in the U.S. not to fall for provocations.
“We have always been against (violence) and even more so now from the high responsibility that I represent. We condemn violent demonstrations, no matter where they come from,” expressed Sheinbaum in the clip, recorded at the National Palace, at the start of her press conference.
What happened between Noem and Sheinbaum?
The controversy erupted after Kristi Noem, during an event with Donald Trump in the Oval Office, stated that Sheinbaum “went out and encouraged more protests in Los Angeles” and that “she should not be encouraging violent protests.”
However, the stance of President Sheinbaum was clear from the beginning. In the same speech that sparked controversy, the Mexican leader had stated:
In addition to strongly denying the accusation, Sheinbaum defended the role of Mexican migrants in the United States and reiterated her commitment to a foreign policy based on respect, dialogue, and human rights.
Verbal conflict is happening as Trump strengthens his anti-immigrant rhetoric during the presidential campaign. On Monday, the former US president ordered the deployment of 700 marines to Los Angeles and announced that he is considering invoking the Insurrection Act if protests against immigration raids continue.