MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican politician Andrés Manuel López Beltrán, the son of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, said the United States revoked his visa, prompting an appeal to U.S. President Donald Trump and criticism Friday from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who called the decision “essentially political in nature.”
López Beltrán announced the visa revocation in a letter to Trump posted on Instagram on Thursday, saying U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Under Secretary Christopher Landau “ordered the withdrawal of my permission to enter the United States,” despite having “no evidence against me regarding any immoral or criminal act.”
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
The U.S. government has not publicly disclosed the reason for the visa revocation, and it was not clear from López Beltrán's post what kind of a visa was revoked.
A U.S. Embassy spokesperson in Mexico, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case publicly, told The Associated Press on Friday that visa records are confidential under U.S. law and declined to comment on the individual case.
Washington’s decision comes less than four months after another setback for Mexico's ruling party, Morena, when federal prosecutors in New York brought a case against 10 current and former Mexican officials, including Sinaloa Gov. Rubén Rocha Moya of the ruling party, over alleged links to drug trafficking.
Addressing the visa revocations of Mexican politicians at her morning news conference Friday, Sheinbaum urged the United States to provide evidence of any allegations against them but said the issue would not lead to a conflict with Washington.
“All we ask for is respect,” she said.
López Beltrán — known as Andy — was one of his father’s closest aides before his 2018 presidential victory. Local media reported that he managed his father’s private schedule and oversaw Morena’s activities in Mexico City and the neighboring State of Mexico.
For much of López Obrador’s six-year presidency, from 2018 to 2024, López Beltrán, the second of his four children, stayed out of party politics and focused on a chocolate business. But in September 2024, weeks before his father left office, he was elected Morena’s secretary of organization.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
