Average daily homicides in Mexico dropped in 14 of the first 20 months of Claudia Sheinbaum’s presidency, declining by 49% since the final month of the previous administration, the government said May 27, 2026. Daily homicides averaged 44.3 in May, down from the 86.9 daily average in September 2024, Security Minister Omar García Harfuch said at Sheinbaum’s daily news briefing.
García Harfuch credited a strengthened 120,000-member National Guard and improved intelligence and investigation practices for the crime-fighting gains. He also said about 54,300 people have been arrested for high-impact crimes — including murder, kidnapping and extortion — since the government took office. “It’s more than 50,000 people who cease committing crimes on the street and no longer affect families,” he said.
The security minister emphasized that 92 “priority target” prisoners from drug cartels and other transnational criminal organizations were sent to the United States in three transfers between February 2025 and January 2026. The transfers contribute to “the strengthening of the rule of law and the strategic coordination” with the U.S., he said.
In addition, García Harfuch noted that since the government took office in October 2024:
- The Mexican military has dismantled 2,382 clandestine drug laboratories and seized 402.8 metric tons of illegal narcotics, including large quantities of fentanyl. “These actions carried out by the Mexican Army and the Navy Ministry represent a significant blow to criminal structures,” García Harfuch said, shrinking manufacturing capacity and leading to huge economic losses for drug traffickers.
- Federal forces have detained 85 current and former officials as part of the government’s “zero impunity” program, García Harfuch said. That includes seven sitting mayors, with one detained in May. Federal authorities apprehended the municipal president of Cuautla, Morelos, as part of Operación Enjambre (Operation Swarm), García Harfuch announced in a post May 30 on the social platform X.
- Authorities have confiscated nearly 29,000 firearms. “Every one of the weapons means fewer shots fired and fewer injuries on the streets,” García Harfuch said.
In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 19, Gen. Gregory M. Guillot, commander of U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, said: “The USNORTHCOM relationship with Mexican military partners stands strong and pays lasting dividends for the security of both the United States and Mexico. USNORTHCOM maintains its longstanding relationships with the Mexican Department of the Navy (MARINA) and Department of National Defense (DEFENSA) and addresses shared security challenges by, with, and through our Mexican partners.”