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Doral, Florida -- As discussed previously in this column, America has been reasserting the Monroe Doctrine while adding what may be called the Trump Corollary. This doctrine holds that countries in this Hemisphere — including Venezuela, Cuba, and Mexico — may not allow their territories to become platforms for the invasion of America by illegal aliens, narcotics, hostile ideologies or other threats. The offense is compounded when such countries act as instruments of powers from outside the Hemisphere, such as China, Russia or Iran.
This policy has been applied forcefully this year:
1. In Venezuela, America decapitated the narco-communist regime and is supervising a transition to a representative government.
2. In Cuba, America has cut off supplies of fuel and other provisions, effectively starving the 67-year-old communist regime.
3. In Mexico, America has pressured its narco-controlled government to move against the cartels that traffic illegal contraband and maintain alliances with China. (See: https://miamiindependent.com/international/2025/11/16/in-mexico-we-are-bordering-on-chaos/.)
Mexican President Sheinbaum has been reluctant to comply, even stating that attacking the cartels falls outside the rule of law and constitutes a fascist tactic. Nevertheless, sustained American pressure appears to have compelled her government to act — if only to placate the gringos.
Accordingly, Mexican federal authorities, acting on intelligence provided by the United States but relying solely on Mexican military forces, targeted the leader of one of the country’s most powerful cartels. Units of the Mexican National Guard — an elite, full-time force founded by President López Obrador — ambushed Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, along with his security detail. The ambush took place in Tapalpa, a rural area in the western state of Jalisco, where the cartel is based. The site lies not far from the state capital, Guadalajara, and along the route to the Pacific resort city of Puerto Vallarta.
Most of Oseguera’s bodyguards were killed in the engagement. Two others, along with their leader, were wounded and placed aboard a medical evacuation helicopter. The aircraft, however, did not transport them to the nearest medical facility in Guadalajara, which has plenty. Instead, it flew them all the way to Mexico City. All three men died en route.
Guadalajara is Mexico’s third most populous city, after Mexico City and Monterrey, and is scheduled to host matches in the FIFA World Cup later this year. Puerto Vallarta is a major beach destination, rivaling Acapulco, Cancún and the Riviera Maya.
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel has emerged as one of Mexico’s most formidable criminal organizations, rivaling the Sinaloa Cartel, which has long led in trafficking volume and operational sophistication. The state of Sinaloa, notably, is governed by the ruling Morena party.
Everyone’s a Cartel
In Mexico, nearly every major political party is affiliated with cartels, including the ruling party. The Mexican government has heard Washington’s message that it must attack the cartels operating within its territory. (See: https://miamiindependent.com/opinion/2026/02/22/marco-rubio-in-munich/.) However, from Mexico City’s perspective, not all cartels are equal targets.
In this instance, the federal government moved first against a cartel based in a state governed by an opposition party. As reflected in the political map referenced in this column:
1. The ruling Morena party (Movement of National Regeneration), led by Presidents López Obrador (2018–24) and Sheinbaum (since 2024), governs 22 of Mexico’s 31 states, plus Mexico City.
2. The long-established, Catholic middle-class PAN (National Action Party) governs four states.
3. The PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party), once dominant, now governs only two states.
4. The Citizens’ Movement, a newer social-democratic party, governs two states — Nuevo León and Jalisco — which are strategically significant, as they include Mexico’s second- and third-largest cities, Monterrey and Guadalajara, respectively.
5. The Green Party governs only the state of San Luis Potosí, home to many American expatriates.
It should not surprise observers of Mexican politics that the federal government first targeted a cartel based in a state governed by an opposition party. The more telling test will be whether it moves next against the Sinaloa Cartel in a state governed by its own party. In Mexico, international relations have become intertwined with domestic politics.
Mexico may be drifting toward civil war. The country has experienced such turmoil before — during the Revolution of 1910–17 and again during the Cristero War of 1926–29. The cartels have intensified their conflict with both the government and one another since PAN President Calderón launched an all-out campaign against them during 2006–12. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel has retaliated today by killing 25 National Guardsmen, and violence has spread through Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta and other cities.
