By Fausto Carbajal Glass, Partner, Miranda Delphi Solutions
Mexico faces mounting security challenges as political violence continues to escalate nationwide. President Claudia Sheinbaum defended her administration’s policies following the November 1 assassination of Uruapan mayor Carlos Manzo, the tenth municipal president killed in office over the past year. The violence particularly affects Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Michoacán, where criminal organizations including Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación and Familia Michoacana operate extensively. The United States offered to deepen bilateral security cooperation following Manzo’s death, though Sheinbaum firmly rejected potential U.S. military deployment, emphasizing Mexican sovereignty and coordination without subordination. Meanwhile, crime emerged as the primary obstacle to business investment according to Banxico’s monthly survey, with negative sentiment jumping from 43% to 58%.
Separately, researchers and government officials highlighted semiconductor development as a national security priority, with the Centro Nacional de Diseño de Semiconductores Kutsari project aiming to train ten million integrated engineers through academia-industry collaboration.
Sheinbaum rules out security changes after assassination of Uruapan mayor.
President Claudia Sheinbaum defended her security policy, asserting she has successfully reduced homicides following the assassination of Uruapan’s mayor, Carlos Manzo. She dismissed calls to deploy the military against drug cartels, stating her government continues strengthening security forces, intelligence operations, and addressing root causes of violence. The 40-year-old Manzo died Saturday night at a hospital in Morelia after being shot during Day of the Dead celebrations. The mayor had been in office since December 2024. Before his death, Manzo had sharply criticized Michoacán Governor Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla’s security policies, accusing state police of failing to combat criminal organizations operating in the region, including Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación and Familia Michoacana, both designated as terrorist organizations by the U.S. governement in February.
El Informador, 11/03/25, Redacción: Sheinbaum descarta cambios en seguridad tras asesinato del alcalde de Uruapan.
Following Carlos Manzo’s assassination, U.S. offers to deepen security cooperation with Mexico.
U.S. Undersecretary of State Christopher Landau expressed condolences to Carlos Manzo’s family and condemned the assassination, announcing his country’s willingness to intensify bilateral security cooperation with Mexico. In a social media message, Landau mourned the mayor’s death. “On this Day of the Dead, my thoughts are with Carlos Manzo’s family and friends. The United States is prepared to deepen security cooperation with Mexico to eradicate organized crime”, Landau stated, while emphasizing the need for swift and effective actions. Manzo Rodríguez had federal and municipal protection since late 2024, reinforced in May. Security Secretary García Harfuch reported that the National Guard had assigned 14 elements for the mayor’s perimeter security, plus two official vehicles coordinated with municipal police. Throughout 2025, Manzo repeatedly urged President Sheinbaum for federal support against organized crime.
Aristegui Noticias, 11/02/25, Redacción: Tras asesinato de Carlos Manzo, EE.UU. ofrece profundizar cooperación en seguridad con México.
“It won’t happen,” says Sheinbaum about sending U.S. troops to Mexico.
President Claudia Sheinbaum assured that President Donald Trump will not send troops to Mexico nor conduct covert operations, emphasizing mutual understanding on security matters and respect for sovereignty as fundamental principles. “It won’t happen, it won’t happen. We have a security understanding we’ve been working on for months with the U.S. government, established when the Secretary of State visited. We’ll continue working within that framework of sovereignty, territoriality, and coordination without subordination to any state”, she stated during her morning press conference. Regarding Trump’s fight against drug trafficking, his administration is reportedly planning attacks on cartel installations and leaders, deploying Navy SEALs, Special Operations Forces, and intelligence officials to Mexico. When asked, Sheinbaum stated her government has no information suggesting the U.S. administration plans any intervention. “We’re not in agreement with any interference or interventionism process”, she reiterated.
Expansión Política, 11/04/25, Lidia Arista: “No va a ocurrir”, dice Sheinbaum sobre envío de tropas de EU a México.
Crime, main obstacle to doing business in Mexico, according to Banxico survey.
Crime emerged as the primary obstacle to doing business in Mexico, according to the Bank of Mexico’s (Banxico) monthly survey. The percentage of specialists citing it as a bad time for investment surged from 43% to 58%. Governance ranked first as a constraint on economic growth at 64%. Public insecurity issues rose from 16% to 17%, followed by rule of law failures increasing from 7% to 9%, and corruption from 4% to 6%. Only three out of ten specialists believe the business climate will improve within the next six months, while three consider it will worsen. This perception influenced foreign direct investment (FDI) estimates, remaining at $38 billion for this year but declining from $39 million to $37.5 million for next year.
El Universal, 11/03/25, Leonor Flores: Crimen, principal obstáculo para hacer negocios en México, según encuesta de Banxico.
Escalation of political violence: ten mayors assassinated while in office during the past year.
Mexico faces a growing wave of political violence that has alerted security institutions and local authorities nationwide. In just 12 months, ten municipal presidents have been assassinated while performing their duties across the country, revealing the fragility of local power against organized crime.
The most recent case occurred November 1, when Uruapan mayor Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodríguez. His murder adds to a troubling list reflecting a phenomenon particularly prevalent in Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Michoacán. According to official records, this chain of attacks began June 6, 2024, with Chilpancingo, Guerrero mayor Alejandro Arcos’s assassination, executed and beheaded after concluding an event. Two days later, on October 15, 2024, Román Ruiz Bohórquez was killed at his home. The violence continued throughout 2024 and 2025, claiming mayors’ lives in multiple states.
Infobae, 11/04/25, Jorge Contreras: Escalada de violencia política: diez alcaldes asesinados en funciones durante el último año.
For national security, Mexico must manufacture semiconductors.
Semiconductor development in Mexico is a national security issue, according to researchers from leading universities like the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). The Mexican government presented the strategic national project Centro Nacional de Diseño de Semiconductores Kutsari last February, aiming to train at least ten million integrated engineers, linking governmental efforts with academia and industry. “Semiconductors allow us to conduct electricity depending on characteristics or needs. They’re even present everywhere around us, from medical equipment to household devices” explained researcher Alejandro Bautista Castillo. These materials, added Roberto Gómez Fuentes from Unison’s Physics Department, are present in electronic equipment ranging from microprocessors to computers, cell phones, tablets, and screens.
La Jornada, 11/03/25, Laura Poy Solano: De la extorsión al reclutamiento: Cárteles usan IA para extender actividades.
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