Claudia Sheinbaum said on Thursday, May 21, that Sara Carter will not travel to Mexico next week and that the planned meeting has been postponed for agenda reasons. Sheinbaum added that the meeting with Markwayne Mullin remains on the calendar and will take place at Palacio Nacional at 12:00 hours.
The president said Roberto Velasco told her that Carter would not come on Monday and that the meeting would be pushed back. She rejected the idea that the change was tied to supposed irregularities, saying the shift was part of routine planning. The visit matters because it comes amid a broader round of Mexico-U.S. security contacts, with Mullin expected to hold an extended dialogue with the Security Cabinet led by Omar García Harfuch.
Sheinbaum also sought to calm speculation about the changes, saying they are part of periodic procedures at the Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional. Asked about the security situation involving officials from Sinaloa accused of alleged ties to Los Chapitos, she said Mexican security forces do not have a legal basis to keep special surveillance on them. She did not confirm whether those officials remain in Mexico.
What she did say is that if they leave the country, they could be detained because of the red notice issued by the United States. Sheinbaum said there is already a U.S. arrest order tied to the case and that Interpol notices can be triggered from that, leaving foreign authorities free to act if the officials cross a border.
Her comments left one clear line in place: the meeting with Mullin goes ahead, but the separate visit by Carter does not. That distinction matters in a week when security and diplomatic coordination between the two countries is being watched closely, especially with the Palacio Nacional meeting set for midday and the wider discussion expected to include Harfuch’s team.
Sheinbaum’s remarks were followed by other political and education updates from the same day. Mario Delgado said talks with the CNTE remain constant, that there is no need for a strike, and that more than 140 meetings have already been held this year. He said the union has been in dialogue with the government over a possible sit-in during the 2026 World Cup.
Separately, Luisa María Alcalde said a proposal is being prepared to let political parties review potential candidates before deciding the nominations they will present for the 2027 elections. The plan includes creating a Commission for Verification of Integrity of Candidacies under the INE, made up of five electoral councilors. The idea adds another layer to a political calendar already crowded with security discussions, labor tensions and election planning.
For now, the immediate focus remains the same: a postponed visit, a meeting that will still happen, and a government trying to show that one change in schedule does not mean a shift in policy.
