Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum at the National Palace on April 2, 2025. Photo: Ugarte/AP.
On Saturday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum criticized the visa system amid the controversial mass revocation of US visas and called for conviction in national sovereignty.
“Conviction in the country, in sovereignty, in recognizing Mexico’s history, in recognizing the struggle of the Mexican people, in knowing that a visa does not define a person, is also needed,” Sheinbaum stated during the inauguration of the first stage of the ISSSTE General Hospital in Tampico, Tamaulipas.
President Sheinbaum asserted that a visa “is for entering a country, that is, it is for entering another country, nothing more,” and referred to the principles of national sovereignty: “In Mexico, conviction tells us that the people rule, that in Mexico there is no one else who rules but the people of Mexico.”
Her statements come amid controversy after the US Department of State spokesperson reported the cancellation of over 175,000 visas for foreign citizens as a result of ongoing verification operations to ensure recipients comply with the established terms.
Betssy Chávez Arrives in Mexico After Receiving Safe Conduct to Leave Peru
The controversy intensified after Andrés Manuel López Beltrán, son of former Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, publicly complained about the cancellation of his visa to enter US territory. The United States has not reported what led to the suspension, maintaining the confidentiality of visa records according to US law.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SF
