On June 15, the United States ambassador to Mexico, Ronald Johnson, announced the arrest of a Mexican national by Border Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley who is wanted in Mexico on charges related to the prostitution of a minor and sexual assault.
The most revealing detail in Johnson's post concerned cooperation between the two countries. According to the ambassador, the United States has transferred 313 wanted criminals to Mexico since the start of President Donald Trump's second term in January 2025, despite recent comments from Mexican officials claiming the U.S. has denied dozens of extradition requests.
In a post on X, Johnson said the June 15 arrest "represents another example of the solid cooperation that Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum are promoting," adding that both countries are working together to bring criminals to justice and "make our nations safer."
U.S. Border Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley (@USBPChief & @USBPChiefRGV) captured and sent back a Mexican national wanted in Mexico for the prostitution of a minor and sexual assault. Under President Trump’s Administration, the United States has transferred 313 wanted… pic.twitter.com/QKNGpeFVuq
— Embajador Ronald Johnson (@USAmbMex) June 16, 2026
Johnson's message comes at a moment of tension between the two countries amid Washington's pressure on Sheinbaum's administration over security issues and its fight against drug trafficking cartels, as well as extradition requests involving Mexican politicians, particularly members of Mexico's ruling Morena party accused by U.S. authorities of links to organized crime.
For its part, Sheinbaum's administration accused Washington just weeks ago of a lack of reciprocity in similar requests that have been denied, despite both governments highlighting strong cooperation on security matters.
The case involving Sinaloa Gov. Rubén Rocha Moya and nine other current and former state officials accused of links to the Sinaloa Cartel has further strained diplomatic relations between the United States and Mexico.
In May, Sheinbaum said Mexico had submitted 269 extradition requests to the United States between Jan. 1, 2018, and May 13, 2026. Of those, 36 were rejected, while 233 remain pending.
"There are extremely serious cases for Mexico, tax fraud operators, former governors, people accused of organized crime, Ayotzinapa, and none of these alleged criminals have been handed over to Mexico," Sheinbaum said. "Why haven't they handed over any of them if they are important cases and there is supposed to be reciprocity?"
As reported by El País, Sheinbaum's administration has handed over 92 individuals wanted in the United States since October 2024, most of them drug traffickers, a figure that has fueled frustration among Mexican authorities over what they describe as a lack of reciprocity.
