The confrontation in X arises after criticism from the Republican legislator of the Mexican government’s position towards Cuba and Venezuela.
MADRID, Spain.- Republican congressmen Carlos A. Giménez and Mario Díaz-Balart issued warnings to the government of Mexico for its relationship with the regimes of Cuba and Venezuela. The exchange, which took place on social network X, also involved the Mexican ambassador in Washington, Esteban Moctezuma Barragán.
The dispute originated with a message from Giménez in which warned about possible diplomatic consequences: “If Mexico continues collaborating with Venezuela and Cuba, it will be treated the same as the outcasts they are protecting.”
The congressman stressed that for Washington there is a clear line between allies and adversaries: “If you are close to enemies of the United States who threaten the lives of Americans and our national security, we will hold you responsible.” And he stressed that “supporting evil dictatorships is not the behavior of an ally.”
Shortly after, Giménez raised the tone of his message by addressing Ambassador Moctezuma directly: “Ambassador, Mexico clearly values its pathetic support for the narcoterrorist dictatorships in Cuba and Venezuela more than its multi-billion dollar relationship with the United States.”
“We will not stand by while your government actively undermines US security policy,” he added.
In agreement, Díaz-Balart publicly supported this position, highlighting that the US must be firm with governments that support its adversaries.
The ambassador’s response It didn’t take long to arrive. In an extensive thread, he defended his country’s position and rejected the accusations: “Mexico acts based on its traditional foreign policy principles, which are enshrined in our Constitution.”
Moctezuma considered that Giménez’s approach does not reflect the reality of the bilateral relationship: “Suggesting that Mexico should be ‘treated as a pariah’ goes against that close cooperation.”
To close his message, the ambassador appealed to understanding: “You will surely agree with me that we must always opt for a close dialogue, since it builds much more than isolated statements on social networks.”
In one of his responses, Giménez directed his criticism at President Claudia Sheinbaum: “From the United States Congress, we denounce the pathetic actions of the president of Mexico @Claudiashein in oxygenating the murderous dictatorship in Cuba.”
And he questioned that, while considering renegotiating the free trade deal with the USA, “how is it possible that Sheinbaum is helping the narcoterrorist dictatorships in the region?”
The congressman also pointed out economic actions of the Mexican government that, according to him, reflect ideological affinities with authoritarian regimes: “Perhaps the Sheinbaum government was inspired by the regimes of Cuba and Venezuela when it flagrantly expropriated the American companies Vulcan Materials and L1BRE.”
And he concluded: “Do you want to advance trade and relations between the United States and Mexico? Start with accountability.”
This public exchange comes amid complaints about increased shipments of Mexican crude oil to Cuba and Venezuela, a policy that Giménez considers direct support for two regimes responsible for systematic human rights violations.
The statements show a hardening of the discourse in Washington towards the Sheinbaum government and anticipate possible diplomatic and commercial repercussions if there are no changes in its foreign policy towards Havana and Caracas.
Recently, Claudia Sheinbaum announced that she will not attend the 10th Summit of the Americas, which will be held in December in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, in disagreement with the exclusion of the governments of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. Sheinbaum explained that his administration is considering sending a representative from the Foreign Ministry and reiterated that his country “never agrees with any country being excluded” from this type of meeting.
