Sheinbaum Defends Sovereignty in Second Report
President Claudia Sheinbaum said Mexico will maintain cooperation and dialogue with the United States without compromising its sovereignty, as she presented her Second Government Report at the National Palace and outlined results in security, the economy, social programs, infrastructure and health care.
“Sovereignty is not negotiable, surrendered or shared,” Sheinbaum said. She acknowledged difficulties in the bilateral relationship, particularly over migration, and said her administration would continue defending the human rights of Mexican nationals in the United States. She added that the México Te Abraza program has assisted more than 281,000 people returning from the United States with food, transportation, medical and psychological care, and identification documents.
On security, Sheinbaum said cooperation with Washington must be based on respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, shared and differentiated responsibility, mutual trust and cooperation without subordination. “Cooperation does not mean submission, and friendship does not mean abandoning our principles,” she said.
According to figures presented in the report, intentional homicides have fallen 51 percent since the beginning of her administration, while 63,000 people linked to criminal activity were arrested between October 2024 and July 2026.
The President also reported the seizure of 32,824 firearms and 519 tons of drugs, as well as the dismantling of 2,725 clandestine laboratories and sites used for methamphetamine production. She said July registered the lowest daily homicide average in 11 years and that the average number of high-impact crimes in 2026 was 54 percent lower than in 2018.
On the economy, Sheinbaum reported $35 billion in foreign direct investment during the first half of 2026, 12 percent more than in the same period of 2024. She said the economy grew 1.9 percent year-on-year in the second quarter, employment reached 60 million people and the unemployment rate stood at 2.7 percent. She also highlighted the increase in the monthly minimum wage from 2,800 pesos in 2018 to 9,282 pesos in 2026.
Social programs are expected to reach 42.86 million people by the end of 2026, including 13.78 million older adults, 2.87 million women between the ages of 60 and 64 enrolled in Mujeres Bienestar, and two million people with disabilities. In health care, the federal government reported the completion and opening of 33 hospitals, while the Salud Casa por Casa program has carried out more than 23 million home visits.
Sheinbaum also highlighted progress in housing, education, roads, passenger railways and energy. Her administration plans to build 1.8 million homes for lower-income families, while 156,000 new upper-secondary education spaces are expected to be created during 2026. She also reported progress on the AIFA-Pachuca, Mexico City-Querétaro, Querétaro-Nuevo Laredo and Querétaro-Guadalajara passenger rail projects.
Sheinbaum closed her Second Government Report by reiterating that Mexico will continue seeking cooperation and understanding with other countries while defending its national interests. “As long as I have the honor of serving as President of the Republic, I will defend our sovereignty, our dignity and our independence with absolute firmness,” she said.
