MEXICO CITY – The political relationship between Mexico and the United States is facing renewed public scrutiny following reports that former high-ranking officials Alfonso Durazo and Américo Villarreal may have crossed into the U.S. without visas to provide testimony against former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO).

According to information shared by journalist Armando Guzmán, the U.S. Department of Justice utilized the statements of these public officials regarding “huachicol” (illegal fuel theft) and drug trafficking in Mexico as part of a “Public Interest Parole” program. The reports indicate that these testimonies were leveraged to inform the Department on ongoing activities and systemic issues within the Mexican government.

Guzmán suggested that the momentum for investigating high-level corruption in Mexico is already well-established. “Even though a Democratic Congress arrives, these things are already done (…) They are not going to back down from the investigation into corrupt politicians in Mexico,” Guzmán stated during an interview with the program Hechos AM.

The alleged actions of Durazo and Villarreal further complicate the diplomatic landscape between the two neighbors, as the U.S. continues to prioritize its crackdown on transnational organized crime and the illicit economies that fuel it.