Mexico refuses to extradite Sinaloa governor

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is pushing back against U.S. pressure by refusing to extradite Rubén Rocha, the governor of Sinaloa State and a key ally in her ruling Morena Party. On May 31, at a major public rally at the Monumento a la Revolución in Mexico City, she declared, “Mexico is nobody’s piñata,” and suggested that U.S. demands to extradite Rocha could be aimed at interfering in Mexico’s 2027 elections rather than purely fighting cartels. Rocha was indicted by U.S. prosecutors in late April, along with nine other current and former officials, on charges of conspiring with the Sinaloa Cartel. Prosecutors allege he allowed cartel leaders to smuggle massive quantities of drugs into the U.S. in exchange for bribes and political support. The fact that Sheinbaum is willing to risk alienating the U.S. to avoid antagonizing the Sinaloa Cartel shows just how far American power and influence have fallen.