US Ambassador Reports 313 Criminal Transfers to Mexico, Contradicting Mexican Government
U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson announced that the United States has transferred 313 wanted criminals to Mexico. This statement, made on social media, contradicts previous assertions by the Mexican government that the U.S. had not fulfilled any of its 269 extradition requests made between January 2018 and May 2026. Mexico's Foreign Affairs Minister had stated that 36 requests were denied and 233 remained pending. The ambassador's announcement highlights differing accounts of bilateral cooperation on criminal transfers.
U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson stated on Monday that the United States has transferred 313 wanted criminals to Mexico for prosecution. Johnson made this announcement on social media, specifying that these transfers occurred during President Donald Trump's second administration.
His statement came approximately one month after the Mexican government indicated that the United States had not sent to Mexico any of the 269 individuals whose extradition it requested between January 2018 and May 2026.
On the X social media site, Johnson cited an example where U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended and returned a Mexican national wanted for the prostitution of a minor and sexual assault. He described this case as an illustration of U.S.-Mexico cooperation.
It remains unclear whether the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs had submitted formal extradition requests for the 313 individuals Johnson mentioned as having been sent to Mexico since early 2025.
On May 19, Foreign Affairs Minister Roberto Velasco reported that 36 extradition requests from Mexico to the U.S. submitted between January 1, 2018, and May 13, 2026, were denied, while 233 were still pending completion. President Claudia Sheinbaum had previously questioned why these individuals, involved in "extremely serious cases," had not been handed over, noting that Mexico had sent over 90 organized crime figures to the U.S. in three large transfers in 2025 and 2026.
The Mexican government's assertion last month regarding unfulfilled extradition requests coincided with pressure to arrest and extradite officials from Sinaloa accused by U.S. prosecutors of drug trafficking. Mexican authorities have stated that the U.S. had not provided sufficient proof for these arrests, although two accused former officials from Sinaloa later surrendered to U.S. authorities.
Recent strains in the bilateral security relationship include allegations of CIA participation in a drug lab raid without Mexican government authorization and U.S. drug trafficking accusations against Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya and other officials.
According to Mexico News Daily, these reports also included information from El Financiero.
