Carlos Manzo, the mayor of Uruapan in the Mexican state of Michoacán, is the latest Mexican mayor to fall victim of cartel political violence. Manzo, considered the “Mexican Bukele” for his uncompromising stance against cartels, was killed during a Day of the Dead event on November 1, 2025. Despite wearing a bulletproof vest and having National Guard protection amid death threats, the mayor was shot seven times.
The brutal assassination ignited public outrage, with protests erupting across Mexico in response. The protests were organized by “Generation Z Mexico” from Mexico City to Michoacán, drawing thousands.
This murder marks the 10th mayor killed in incumbent Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s first 13 months in office, calling attention to the escalating grip of cartel violence in Mexico. Former President Vicente Fox praised Manzo in a public statement, urging citizens:
“WHEN A MEXICAN RISES WITH COURAGE, IT REMINDS US OF WHAT WE ARE MADE OF. CARLOS MANZO GAVE US A LESSON IN DIGNITY AND LOVE FOR MEXICO. TODAY I TAKE OFF MY HAT TO HIM. MAY HIS EXAMPLE AWAKEN US. WE NEED TO AWAKEN. TODAY, TODAY, TODAY. FOR MEXICO.”
Sheinbaum has dismissed calls for militarization, accusing critics of political exploitation and claiming that the number of homicides has decreased. This crisis continues to be fueled by Sheinbaum’s lackluster response; her vague “Plan Michoacán” promises intelligence sharing, welfare, and social programs, even as states such as Michoacán turn into ungovernable cartel territories.
On November 15, Mexican citizens held marches and protests at government buildings, and about 17,000 people clashed with riot police outside the National Palace in Mexico City. Demonstrators accused the government of being complicit in the violence, and chanted “Out, Morena,” referencing Sheinbaum’s left-wing Morena party. The protest became violent, with barriers being torn down, leading to police using tear gas. Twenty people were arrested. Sheinbaum claimed the unrest was orchestrated by her political opponents, business leaders, and foreign social-media bots.
During the protest, someone spray-painted “PUTA JUDIA” (“Jewish whore”) across the main doors of the National Palace — a vulgar attack on Sheinbaum. The actions of a single protester resulted in international condemnation.
Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa’ar responded to antisemitic graffiti, stating:
“Israel strongly condemns the antisemitic and sexist slurs directed at Mexico’s President. There is no place for such attacks in political discourse. All forms of antisemitism, in any context, must be rejected unequivocally.”
Following the incident, coverage shifted to focus on antisemitism and violence, overshadowing Sheinbaum’s weak response to cartel violence and political leaders being publicly assassinated.
Following the Trump administration’s designation of Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles, headed by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, Sheinbaum has voiced support for Venezuela and Maduro, rejecting U.S. claims of Maduro’s links to the Sinaloa Cartel.
Cristóbal Ascencio García, the bishop of the Apatzingán diocese in Michoacán, has warned that communism is imminent under Sheinbaum’s rule, accusing her of pushing Mexico toward radical leftist ideologies. The socialist magazine Jacobin wrote about the deep ties Sheinbaum’s family has with the Communist Party. Her support for Cuba’s communist regime, which has included billions in oil aid, raises additional concerns.
Additionally, the Communist Party USA voiced support for Sheinbaum and Maduro against U.S. “imperialism,” highlighting leftist solidarity globally and acceptance of cartel atrocities, along with anti-American and anti-Constitution rhetoric.
In Operation Fast and Furious, carried out during the Obama administration by Attorney General Eric Holder, agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) were ordered to allow thousands of firearms purchased in the United States to “walk” into Mexico. This strategy backfired catastrophically. Thousands of firearms were illegally sold, with only a fraction recovered, arming narco-terrorists and resulting in the murder of U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry in December 2010 and countless Mexicans over the last decade.
The ATF has been complicit in arming cartels with U.S. manufactured firearms — a major scandal exposed more than a decade ago, which contradicted anti-Second Amendment narratives that blamed American citizens. Holder’s Department of Justice called for stricter U.S. firearm laws while covering up its own complicity.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s designation of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Gulf Cartel, MS-13, Sinaloa Cartel, Tren de Aragua, and others as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists reclassifies them from “drug traffickers” into lawful military targets anywhere on earth.
Over the summer, Trump reportedly signed a directive approving the use of military force against cartels, and the Trump administration is allegedly planning military action in Mexico. This potential mission was reported after Trump’s recent confirmation of CIA action inside Venezuela. Trump told reporters he would authorize ground strikes inside Mexico, stating, “OK with me, whatever we have to do to stop drugs.”
Additionally, on February 1, Trump imposed a 25-percent tariff on goods imported from Mexico. Imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the tariffs are intended to pressure Mexico to take action against illegal migration, human trafficking, and the smuggling of narcotics. Trump, who has since revised the tariffs multiple times — including to exempt imports that comply with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) — stated they will remain in place until Mexico has taken adequate cooperative action.
A nation that refuses to defend its borders surrenders its sovereignty. On his first day back in office, Trump signed an executive order requiring the U.S. military to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation’s borders under United States Northern Command.
Congress ignored the issue as a “law enforcement” problem, while its inaction caused Mexico to become a terrorist narco-state. For decades, Deep State bureaucrats have allowed Mexican cartels to operate as a de facto invading army, waging war on America and flooding cities with drugs, trafficking women and children, and extorting illegal migrants.
The same leftists who argue Trump’s actions “violate Mexican sovereignty” are the very people who spent 30 years trying to form a North American Union. The USMCA, as well as its predecessor, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), is part of the globalist merger of the United States, Mexico, and Canada into one supranational entity.
Mexico is not a “partner”; it is a foreign country that is failing to control its territory and prevent its citizens from harming the United States. The only cooperation that matters is Mexico cooperating in destroying the cartels.