Summary – Morning Presidential Press Conference – Tuesday, September 19, 2023

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said his government has invested more in the well-being of the country’s indigenous communities than previous administrations. He said that practically 100% of indigenous households are attended to with some assistance from the federal government. In addition, poverty has been reduced in Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Guerrero where these communities are concentrated.

Laura Velázquez, National Coordinator of Civil Protection, announced that the second National Earthquake Drill will take place with the expected participation of more than 115,000 buildings and 9.29 million people in the country’s 32 states. She indicated that the seismic alert will be sounded in nine states and that a bidding process has begun to launch a cell phone alert, which could start operating in October.

Minister of Security and Citizen Protection Rosa Icela Rodríguez reported that based on figures through August, there has been a 19.2% decrease in intentional homicides and an 80% drop in kidnappings -with the August figures being the lowest in the past six years- coupled with declines of 24.4% in robberies and 45.1% in vehicle theft. Femicides declined 33.6% while fuel theft plummeted 94.3%, resulting in savings of 286.73 billion pesos (US$16.75 billion) from 2018 to 2023.

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In the Zero Impunity report, the Mexican government reported the extradition of six suspects to the United States, the most important of whom is Ovidio Guzmán. The arrest of 34 suspects implicated in the LeBaron family case was reported, and six judges were exposed who with their rulings have sought to favor people accused in high profile cases such as Juan Collado, Emilio Lozoya, Alonso Ancira, and the former Morelos attorney general Uriel Carmona.

Minister of the Navy Rafael Ojeda Durán reported that so far in September, 864 firearms, 1,800 magazines, and 225,567 cartridges have been seized; 585 suspects have been arrested, and more than 6 million pesos (US$350 million) and over US$600,000 have been recovered. In addition, more than 2,000 clandestine laboratories have been seized.

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The chief executive announced that he will comply with the measure imposed by the National Electoral Institute (INE) ordering him to remove the posts concerning his passing the baton of command to Claudia Sheinbaum, although he indicated he did not agree with the ruling. He clarified that the baton was given to her by an indigenous community.