MEXICO CITY — As images of chaos in Los Angeles dominated Mexican media, President Claudia Sheinbaum condemned the weekend clashes but refrained from any direct denunciation of Washington’s hard-line immigration tactics — while urging Mexican citizens in California to eschew violence.
Sheinbaum, who has won widespread acclaim for her deft handling of incendiary pronouncements by President Trump on tariffs, drug smuggling and other issues, again sought to walk a fine line: She called on U.S. authorities to “respect the human dignity” of “hard-working” and “honest” Mexican immigrants, while denouncing unlawful acts.
“Burning patrol cars seems more like an act of provocation than one of resistance,” Sheinbaum said Monday.
A day earlier, the president had been more pointed in her critique of U.S. immigration roundups, which have drawn widespread outrage here.
“The immigration phenomenon cannot be dealt with through violence or raids,” Sheinbaum told a crowd Sunday at a hospital ribbon-cutting outside the capital.
News reports and social media accounts in Mexico have widely circulated images of U.S. agents in tactical gear facing off against protesters baring Mexican flags.
“We call on the government of the United States to avoid any act of repression and rectify its unjust and arbitrary policy against millions of immigrants,” Gerardo Fernández Noroña, president of the Mexican Senate and a member of Sheinbaum’s ruling Morena bloc, told reporters.
On the streets in Mexico City, many Mexicans focused not on the protests, but recent raids by immigration agents in Southern California. They assailed what they viewed as unwarranted attacks against compatriots and relatives.
“I have some cousins living in California and they’re very worried and frightened about the raids,” said Alejandra Morales, 47, who works in a rehab clinic in the capital. “They are good people who only seek a better life for their kids. Trump may ruin their lives.”
Said Sofía González, 32, a veterinarian: “I think President Sheinbaum should be very forceful in her protests against Trump. We’ve had enough of Trump doing crazy things and maltreating Mexicans.”
In her comments, Sheinbaum expressed appreciation to Los Angeles for having provided a home for generations of Mexican immigrants and their families.
Mexican citizens are the largest immigrant group in the United States, numbering more than 11 million, according to various estimates. Mexican-born immigrants are widely dispersed across the country, though Los Angeles is still seen here as the capital of the Mexican disapora.
Los Angeles “has been generous, and we Mexicans have been generous with this city,” Sheinbaum said.
According to the Mexican foreign ministry, 42 Mexican citizens were arrested in the recent raids, 37 men and 5 women. Four had previous removal orders and have already been expelled back to Mexico; two others agreed to return to Mexico voluntarily.
Ronald Johnson, the U.S. ambassador in Mexico City, defended the Trump administration crackdown, while also praising Mexico and its people.
“The violent protesters in LA don’t represent the Mexican people: dignified and hard-working, that we know and respect,” Johnson wrote in Spanish on X. “Our actions protect every community and reinforce the rule of law. Mexico is our partner and our nations are profoundly united.”
Sheinbaum’s reaction to the clashes in Los Angeles is in line with her efforts to avoid disputes with the Trump administration. Her motto has been: “cooperation, not subjugation.” The president has criticized Trump’s mass deportation agenda, but said that Mexico welcomes its deported citizens.
To date, Mexican authorities say, deportations from the United States to Mexico have not spiked, despite the Trump administration policies. In recent years, the United States has removed about 200,000 Mexican citizens back to Mexico each year.
Special correspondent Cecilia Sánchez Vidal contributed.
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