WASHINGTON.- The Deputy Attorney General of the United States, Todd Blanche, seemed surprised when questioned about the extradition requests of the Mexican government that have not been honored by the US administration and mentioned the “extradition agreement”, so such requests should be reviewed.

“I don't have the details, but such requests should be reviewed, of course,” he said in a brief conversation at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, where he was questioned why President Donald Trump's government has not responded to the extradition requests, which President Claudia Sheinbaum has discussed in her morning conference, including that of the former governor of Tamaulipas, Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca.

Prosecutor Blanche also recognized the dozens of criminals expelled from Mexico to the United States, as part of the security alliance.

He highlighted the close relationship that President Trump's government has with President Sheinbaum in matters of security, including the work carried out in coordination with the Secretary of Public Security, Omar García Harfuch.

According to the Mexican government, between 2018 and 2026, 269 requests have been made for people accused of various crimes. Of this number, 233 have no resolution by the US authorities.

The Office of the Legal Counsel of the Department of State and the Office of International Affairs (OAI) of the Department of Justice were formally questioned about the extraditions to Mexico, particularly that of García Cabeza de Vaca, without a response so far.

García Cabeza de Vaca against Sheinbaum

Among the extradition requests, the case of García Cabeza de Vaca, former governor of Tamaulipas, stands out, who faces accusations of links to organized crime, money laundering and illicit activities, for which he is considered a fugitive from Mexican justice.

"He has dual nationality. He is a Mexican citizen and an American citizen, he lives in the United States. Mexico has requested his extradition, given that the court recently ruled that an amparo that he had promoted again was not appropriate, and his extradition is being requested and there has been no such response from the United States Government," lamented President Sheinbaum.

The president added that if Garcia Cabeza de Vaca were in Mexico, his arrest would have to proceed, but she regretted the inaction of the United States.

"That's why I say: 'Don't help me, compadre,' in the case of anyone who wants to promote himself for a candidacy, because he is a man who is wanted by the law," he said.

Following President Sheinbaum's statements, García Cabeza de Vaca – who is part of the National Action Party (PAN) – published a video on her X account, where she accused the president of being “misinformed.”

"I am not hiding. I cannot be a fugitive from the justice of a government that insists on denying it to me," he said.

While living in the United States, García Cabeza de Vaca has attempted to advance Mexican politics and has established alliances with conservative movements in the United States, such as the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), which last February organized a summit on narcoterrorism in Congress, where García Cabeza de Vaca and other PAN politicians were present, including migrant congressman Raúl Torres Guerrero, who are calling for US military action in Mexico.

The accusations against García Cabeza de Vaca

The former governor of Tamaulipas, García Cabeza de Vaca, faces accusations from the Attorney General's Office (FGR) in Mexico for being involved in organized crime activities and operations with resources of illicit origin.

In addition to tax fraud, derived from discrepancies in their tax returns and unjustified financial movements. In February 2021, the Specialized Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime requested the Chamber of Deputies to revoke immunity – withdrawal of protection as an official – which was approved in April of that year.

After leaving office as governor – without making an official handover of the administration – in October 2022, García Cabeza de Vaca fled, while his defense promoted an amparo to avoid his arrest, which was revoked by the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN).

In addition, between 2017 and 2019, companies linked to businessmen Sergio and Julio César Carmona received contracts and deposits from the government of Tamaulipas, when García Cabeza de Vaca led that administration. Contracts are estimated for $335.8 million Mexican pesos.

In August 2025, the Tamaulipas Health Secretariat revealed the presentation of 70 complaints, including 14 criminal ones, against García Cabeza de Vaca and former officials for contracts linked to the Carmona brothers' companies.

On November 22, 2021, Sergio Carmona was murdered while being treated in a barbershop in San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León, during a period in which he was complaining to García Cabeza de Vaca about non-payment of contracts.

The PAN political group has tried to connect the current governor of Tamaulipas, Américo Villarreal, with Carmona, accusing him of financing his electoral campaign, but Carmona was assassinated in November 2021, while Villarreal was defined by the Morena party as a candidate in December of that year, shortly after his campaign began.

“From the American Union, knowing that circumstance […] and having friendly relations, I feel that he has been giving, well, his versions, to which we have not had the consideration or the analysis of the opening of also having a counter reply,” indicated a high-level source from the Villarreal government about the political dispute.