Mexico City, Mexico — “Mexico is calm,” President Sheinbaum said after the Sunday cartel operation in the state of Jalisco. “We woke up without any road blockades and all activity has been restored,” she commented after the Sunday operation carried out by federal forces.
She gave special recognition to Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, the Secretary of National Defense as well as the Mexican Army, National Guard and the Mexican Air Force, institutions that acted within the framework of the law.
“Mexico truly has extraordinary Armed Forces. They are professional men and women with great vision, great patriotism and enormous training.”
She thanked the governors of all of Mexico’s states for keeping people informed after the operation and for working in perfect coordination with the federal government and the prosecutors’ offices.
“The most important thing right now is to guarantee the peace and security of the entire population. When something like this happens, what we need to do is be very coordinated and face the situation with great responsibility.”
She emphasized that all operations were conducted by Mexican federal forces and reaffirmed that there was no involvement from U.S. authorities.
“What we have is a lot of information sharing provided by the United States government, but the entire operation, from its planning onwards, was of federal forces, in this case, the Ministry of National Defense,” she explained.
President Sheinbaum said that the understanding between Mexico and the United States has been respected and both nations coordinate based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, shared responsibility, mutual respect and trust, as well as cooperation without subordination.
Her comments came ahead of President Donald Trump’s 108-minute State of the Union address Tuesday when he acknowledged the cartel leader takedown.
On Tuesday during his address, Trump mentioned the killing of the Mexican drug lord. “We’ve also taken down one of the most sinister cartel kingpins of all. You saw that yesterday,” referring to the death of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes.
Some media interpreted his comments as taking credit for the takedown by Mexican federal forces on Sunday. However, on Monday, President Sheinbaum emphasized that all operations were conducted by Mexican federal forces (Ministry of National Defense) and reaffirmed that there was no involvement from U.S. authorities.
Sheinbaum reported that some airlines themselves suspended a few flights as a precaution, particularly in Puerto Vallarta, and that they resumed operations the following day.
Following the operation in the mountain area of Tapalpa, Jalisco and the violent reactions it generated, the Security Cabinet activated immediate response protocols in coordination with state governors.
Secretary Trevilla Trejo explained that on Sunday, an additional 2,500 personnel were concentrated to strengthen security in Jalisco and neighboring states to ensure peace.
The Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, reported that the deployment was carried out by the Secretariat of National Defense, the Secretariat of the Navy and National Guard to protect people and clear roads, which resulted in the violence ending on the same day.
He said after the Sunday morning operation, federal forces suffered 27 attacks. In Jalisco, 25 members of the National Guard and 30 criminals lost their lives. In the state of Michoacán, there were 13 attacks that resulted in 15 officers injured and four criminals killed. He reported 70 people in seven states were arrested for the violence.
In the state of Quintana Roo, at least a dozen cars were set on fire and several businesses were attacked. However, there were no reports of major injuries and zero reports of deaths. Arrests have already been made in those incidents.
In a 2026 security update Monday, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico acknowledged that travel in Cancun and Riviera Maya is safe and that things have returned to normal.
“While incidents were reported February 22, the situation has returned to normal in the following areas: Quintana Roo State including Cancun, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen and Tulum.”
