Mexico’s security apparatus reshuffled

A controversial attorney general replaced with a Sheinbaum loyalist.

The Big News Breakdown. Unpacking this week’s most important news.

One can always tell there is a rough reshuffle in store when top Mexican officials start publishing gushing and vague letters about their future in politics.

Last week, Alejandro Gertz Manero published a letter thanking president Claudia Sheinbaum for working with him as Mexico’s federal attorney general and for considering appointing him to a new post as ambassador “to a friendly country.” He was likely pushed out.

Being an official technically independent of the president, the letter was addressed at the Senate. This branch of government, controlled by Sheinbaum’s Morena party, accepted the attorney’s resignation and considered who would replace Gertz Manero—for the first time, behind closed doors.

What happened behind the scenes soon became apparent. The person who replaced a hastily departing Gertz Manero was Ernestina Godoy. She was formerly Sheinbaum’s chief legal advisor, both as president and during her time as Mexico City’s mayor.

Now, as the country’s top lawyer, Godoy has wasted no time in replacing important staff in the attorney’s office, replacing old faces with experts in dealing with organised crime networks. Beyond honing in on their tactical anti-crime experience, these new hires also carry another essential qualification: