17 members of a cartel kingpin's family were escorted into California from Mexico. Why?

MEXICO CITY — Key pillars of the Trump administration’s argumentation toward Mexico impact large-scale deportations and a crackdown connected cartels.

But reports successful the Mexican media suggest that U.S. authorities precocious orchestrated the secret, cross-border determination of astatine slightest 17 relatives of Mexico’s astir notorious cause kingpin — Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán — to California.

Various societal media sites person circulated images purporting to amusement El Chapo’s kin lugging rolling suitcases arsenic they waited to participate the United States past week astatine the San Ysidro borderline crossing connecting Tijuana and San Diego.

In a vigor interrogation connected Tuesday, Omar García Harfuch, Mexico’s information chief, confirmed that the determination took place.

He characterized the transportation of El Chapo’s relatives arsenic portion of a “negotiation” betwixt the U.S. Justice Department and representatives of 1 of El Chapo’s sons, Ovidio Guzmán López, who faces drug-smuggling and different charges successful national tribunal successful Chicago.

Ovidio Guzmán was initially arrested successful 2109 successful an cognition that sparked weapon battles paralyzing the metropolis of Culiacán, prompting then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to bid him freed successful a bid to extremity the violence. He was rearrested successful 2023 successful a 2nd bloody cognition that near astatine slightest 29 dead, including 10 Mexican soldiers. Mexico extradited him to the United States successful September 2023 to look cause trafficking charges.

He plans to alteration his not blameworthy plea to guilty, according to tribunal papers, but the presumption of his imaginable plea woody stay publically unknown. A tribunal proceeding is acceptable for July 9 successful national tribunal successful Chicago.

“As we saw successful the news, Ovidio begins a dialog with the Department of Justice of the United States and it’s evident that, [with] his household going to the United States, it’s due to the fact that of that negotiation,” García Harfuch told Mexico’s Radio Formula.

The existent whereabouts of the El Chapo relatives could not beryllium determined. It was not wide if they were nether immoderate signifier of protective custody.

There has been speculation successful Mexico that, successful speech for a reduced situation word and different concessions, Ovidio Guzmán could hold to attest for the authorities successful cause cases. Such “cooperation” agreements, experts say, routinely see extortion for the relatives of imaginable witnesses.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday that the reports had blindsided her — she learned of it from quality accounts — and that her authorities was seeking clarification from Washington.

A Justice Department spokeswoman, Nicole Navas, declined to comment. Ovidio Guzmán’s New York-based attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, did not instrumentality messages.

El Chapo, who was convicted successful 2019 of moving a immense cause network, is serving a beingness condemnation at a alleged supermax situation successful Colorado.

The accounts astir El Chapo’s relatives entering San Diego originated with Luis Chaparro, a Mexican writer who specializes successful stories astir the convicted cause trafficker.

On Monday, Chaparro, citing “sources,” reported connected his YouTube transmission that 17 of El Chapo’s relatives —including his ex-wife, assorted nephews and nieces, a grandson, a girl and a son-in-law — entered U.S. territory successful San Ysidro astatine astir mid-day connected May 9 and were met by FBI agents. They carried much than $70,000 successful cash, reported Chaparro, who said astatine slightest 1 sniper watched implicit the radical arsenic they turned themselves successful to U.S. authorities.

Among the radical was Griselda López, El Chapo’s erstwhile woman and the parent of Ovidio and his elder brother, Joaquín Guzmán López, who is besides successful U.S. custody facing cause charges.

There has been wide speculation successful the Mexican property that Ovidio Guzmán and his elder member whitethorn question a plea woody and perchance hold to attest against Ismael Zambada García, a co-founder, with El Chapo, of the notorious Sinaloa cartel.

Zambada has said helium was kidnapped by Joaquín Guzmán López past summertime and flown into the custody of U.S. agents extracurricular El Paso, Texas. Zambada is reportedly successful plea negotiations with U.S. authorities to debar a imaginable decease penalty.

Zambada’s apprehension has sparked a bloody turf warfare splitting the Sinaloa cartel. Backers of Zambada are warring supporters of El Chapo’s sons, known arsenic Los Chapitos, for power of the storied transgression organization. Heading Los Chapitos, authorities say, are 2 of El Chapo’s different sons, some wanted men who person remained successful Mexico and avoided apprehension and imaginable extradition to the United States.

Contributing were unit writer Keegan Hamilton successful Los Angeles and peculiar correspondents Cecilia Sánchez Vidal and Liliana Nieto del Río successful Mexico City.