Overview
- Following Wednesday's heated session of the Permanent Commission, opposition blocs pressed for the provisional arrest and extradition of Sinaloa governor-on-leave Rubén Rocha Moya and other accused officials, while Morena framed the issue as a defense of national sovereignty.
- Mexico’s federal prosecutor’s office said it lacks grounds to detain the named officials and is seeking evidence from U.S. authorities, and President Claudia Sheinbaum said it is up to each accused officeholder to decide on taking leave, a stance highlighted by Senator Enrique Inzunza’s decision to stay in his seat.
- Sinaloa moved to preserve operations after Vice Prosecutor Dámaso Castro took unpaid leave, swearing in José Roberto Quiñonez Coronado as acting vice prosecutor and naming Rocío Yamileth Aguilar Zazueta to a regional post, as Rocha and Culiacán mayor Juan de Dios Gámez remained on temporary leave under federal security oversight.
- Parties split on next steps: PAN called for a political trial of Rocha and the disappearance of powers in Sinaloa, PRI urged immediate extradition, and Movimiento Ciudadano filed for impeachment and removal of immunity to ensure the accused face trial in Mexico.
- The SDNY indictment can lead to extradition only through treaty and court processes, and several accused retain constitutional immunity known as fuero, so the near-term pivots are whether the U.S. supplies case files to Mexico and whether Congress or prosecutors open domestic proceedings.