The Secretariat for Anti-Corruption and Good Governance has launched a formal investigation into the stay of Marcelo Patrick Ebrard, son of the current Secretary of Economy, at the Mexican Embassy residence in London. The young man, who was 26 at the time, lived in the diplomatic compound between June 2021 and January 2022 while his father served as Foreign Minister. President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed this Thursday that the process was triggered automatically following received requests, noting that the goal is to determine whether any legal or judicial violations occurred regarding the use of state resources during his stay, which included access to a butler, a cook, and cleaning staff.
Marcelo Ebrard has defended his son's stay, arguing that he was invited by then-Ambassador Josefa González-Blanco and that his presence did not constitute an abuse of resources. “We did not use any resources improperly,” the Secretary of Economy maintained last week, insisting that his son organized an exhibition on mental health. However, President Sheinbaum distanced herself from this stance, emphasizing the need to review whether the Code of Ethics of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was violated, which prohibits using one's position to grant privileges. So far, González-Blanco has not responded to inquiries regarding the alleged invitation.
Border Tensions and National Security
This scrutiny of official conduct comes amid high friction in bilateral relations with the United States. The Mexican government is currently investigating an operation in the mountains of Chihuahua that occurred on April 19, which resulted in the deaths of two state agents and two alleged American instructors. Sheinlam underscored that any collaboration with foreign agencies must strictly go through the federal government, warning that if an unauthorized joint operation is confirmed, the incident could escalate into a diplomatic crisis. “For a state to coordinate with a U.S. Government agency, it cannot do so directly; it must necessarily go through the federal government,” the President specified.
Pressure regarding security is also reflected in the strategy for capturing criminal leaders. While Washington celebrates the arrest of figures such as Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, activists in Mexico warn of the costs of the cartel “decapitation” strategy, which often triggers increased internal violence. Added to this is the concern over arms trafficking: according to Mexican government data, 80% of weapons seized from criminal groups originate in the United States, while the remaining 20% come from Israel, many of which were diverted from previous legal sales to local security forces. In the economic sphere, uncertainty is also hitting companies like Chedraui, which reported a 16.5% drop in U.S. sales, attributed in part to the migration context and the appreciation of the peso against the dollar. In response to this scenario, the government has proposed Roberto Lazzeri Montaño, the current director of Nafin and Bancomext, as the new ambassador to Washington to manage the upcoming USMCA review.
