Mexico Pauses Relations With US, Canadian Embassies Amid Judicial Reform Concerns

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador attends the commemoration of his second anniversary in office at the National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico, on Dec. 1, 2020. Marco Ugarte/AP Photo

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has announced a halt in relations with the U.S. and Canadian embassies after their ambassadors raised concerns over his judicial reform proposal.

Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday that the embassies will have to be respectful of Mexico’s sovereignty for relations to be reestablished. He did not elaborate on the potential effect of the pause.

“They have to learn to respect Mexico’s sovereignty,” Lopez Obrador said during a press conference on Tuesday. He noted that the pause was with the embassies and not with the countries.

The U.S. and Canadian embassies in Mexico didn’t reply to The Epoch Times’ requests for comment by publication time.

The Mexican president’s remarks came a day after lawmakers in Mexico’s lower house of Congress passed the judicial reform proposal, paving the way for it to be approved when the newly elected Congress takes office in September.

The reform proposal includes a provision requiring judges to be elected by popular vote. The Mexican president has said that the reform is needed to combat judicial corruption.

Lopez Obrador earlier accused U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar of interfering in his country’s internal affairs after Salazar said that the reform poses “a major risk” to Mexico’s democracy.

Salazar said in an Aug. 22 statement that the changes would allow drug cartels to exploit the Mexican judiciary and put U.S.–Mexican trade relations in jeopardy, which he said “relies on investors’ confidence in Mexico’s legal framework.”

The U.S. envoy said the judicial branch in Mexico needs “capable judges” to handle complex litigation for extraditions, trade disputes, and other issues.

But the reform proposal will remove the necessary qualifications for judges, allowing those with only a few years of legal experience to become judges through popular vote, he noted.

Salazar subsequently stated on X that he was open to engaging in dialogue with the Mexican government and exchanging views on different judicial models. He also said he has “the utmost respect for Mexico’s sovereignty.”

Canadian Ambassador to Mexico Graeme Clark said last week that Mexico’s judicial reform proposal has sparked concerns among investors.

“My investors are concerned, they want stability, they want a judicial system that works if there are problems,” Clark said at an event last week.

Judges and magistrates in Mexico have launched a strike to protest the proposal. They argued that the reform would end merit-based career paths and make the judiciary more vulnerable to outside influence.

Lopez Obrador said the strike will not result in any changes. His term as president is set to end next month, when he will be succeeded by Claudia Sheinbaum.

Reuters contributed to this report.