A photograph with a prominent drug cartel figure may be behind the Trump administration’s refusal to grant a top Mexican politician a visa to enter the United States.
The picture showed Baja California governor Marina del Pilar Ávila hugging Emmanuel ‘El Botas’ Serrano while she was campaigning for mayor of the border town of Mexicali in 2019.
Serrano allegedly reports directly to Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada, who leads half of the infamously brutal Sinaloa Cartel.
The photo first emerged in September 2022, with the governor’s office disputing allegations that she had any ties to the so-called El Botas.
‘It’s a common knowledge that during political campaigns, hundreds of people approach to take a photo and even mingle with a candidate, as was the case during the four electoral campaigns in which the governor has contested,’ del Pilar Ávila’s office said in a statement.
Del Pilar Ávila announced on Sunday that she and her husband, Carlos Torres, had their tourist visas revoked.
While she did not provide any reason for the revocation in her X post, Torres wrote on Facebook Saturday that it ‘does not represent an accusation, investigation or formal incident by any authority, neither in Mexico nor in the United States.’
Torres, who serves as the coordinator of special projects within the Baja California state administration and for the city of Tijuana, also claimed that the revocation is ‘a measure that, as is with many people in similar contexts, responds to internal arrangements of the State Department.’
A photo taken in 2019 showed Sinaloa Cartel cell leader Emmanuel ‘El Botas’ Serrano (third from the left) and Baja California Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila (third from the right) hugging at an event where she was campaigning for mayor of Mexicali. The picture went viral in September 2022, a year and three months after she was elected governor
Marina del Pilar Ávila, the governor of Mexico’s Baja California state, announced on Sunday that her and her husband’s visas to the United States have been revoked
Her husband, Carlos Torres, wrote on Facebook Saturday that it ‘does not represent an accusation, investigation or formal incident by any authority, neither in Mexico nor in the United States’
‘Currently, the application of these administrative criteria has become increasingly common and like so many others, I am included in that universe,’ Torres told his followers.
Senators under ruling National Regeneration Movement, which is also known as Morena, issued a statement offering their support del Pilar Ávila and called the visa revocation a move by the opposition to damage the governor’s reputation.
“The Morena parliamentary group strongly condemns the malicious speculation and smear campaign waged by conservatives to harm the governor of Baja California, Marina del Pilar Ávila, and her family, who have our full support,” said the group led by Senator of the Republic, Adán López.
Del Pilar Ávila’s and Torres’ visa ban comes just weeks after Colombian President Gustavo Petro claimed the Trump administration revoked his visa to attend meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
It also comes amid President Trump’s war of words with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum for her refusal to deal with drug cartels in her country.
Emmanuel ‘El Bota’ Serrano allegedly leads a criminal cell and responds to Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada, who leads one-half of Sinaloa Cartel faction known as ‘La Mayiza’
Trump had pressured Sheinbaum last month to allow US soldiers into her country to help fight the drug gangs that produce and smuggle fentanyl into the United States, but she declined the offer, according to the Wall Street Journal.
That prompted Trump to blast Sheinbaum, the leader of the Morena party – of which del Pilar Ávila and Torres are both members, as being ‘afraid of the cartels.’
Now, Torres says he has contacted an international immigration lawyer ‘who is evaluating the submission of a motion to reopen or reconsider the decisions or begin the process for a new visa application, in strict adherence to official channels.’
‘I make this information public with responsibility and transparency, not only to avoid speculation, but also to limit political opponents’ misuse of this situation,’ Torres wrote, adding: ‘Believe me: these are people without limits or scruples, willing to turn any fact into slander if they think it will give them an advantage.’
‘Throughout my public life, I have acted out of respect for the law and [am] fully aware of the commitment I serve,’ Torres concluded as he vowed that the situation ‘will be handled with seriousness and confidence in legal procedures.’
Del Pilar Ávila also stood by her man in her post on X, saying he ‘has always acted with integrity, dedication and a deep commitment to Baja California.
The revocation of del Pilar Ávila and her husband’s visa comes amid President Donald Trump’s war of words with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum – the head of del Pilar Ávila’s and Torres’ party
‘My support for him isn’t just personal, it’s moral and political,’ she wrote. ‘Because I know who he is and because he has always stood up and taken responsibility for things that aren’t his.’
She also noted that ‘this situation is taking place in a complex binational context that requires my composure and prudence.’
Still, the Baja California governor said she has full confidence ‘that the situation will be satisfactorily clarified for both of us.’
The dramatic move to revoke her and her husband’s visas comes just weeks after del Pilar Ávila took a trip to San Diego to promote tourism in Mexico, according to KUSI.
It remains unclear what may have provoked the US State Department to suddenly revoke their visas.
But the Trump administration has been cracking down on who can obtain visas in recent weeks.
The Trump administration has been cracking down on who can obtain visas in recent weeks
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has implemented a ‘one-strike’ policy for all temporary visa holders
In March, Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent diplomats overseas a directive to scrutinize the social media content of any visa applicant in an effort to bar those suspected of criticizing the US or Israel from entering the country, according to the New York Times.
His order specifically stated that applicants can be denied visas if their behavior or actions show they bear ‘a hostile attitude toward US citizens or US culture (including government, institutions or founding principles).’
Then on April 30, Rubio announced he was implementing a ‘one-strike’ policy for all temporary visa holders in a document marking Trump’s first 100 days in office.
He declared that ‘a visa is a privilege, not a right,’ and noted that under the Immigration and Nationality act, any noncitizen who ‘endorses or espouses terrorist activity or persuades others to endorse or espouse terrorist activity or support a terrorist organization’ is not welcome into the country.
‘There is now a one-strike policy: Catch and Revoke,’ Rubio wrote. ‘Whenever the government catches non-US citizens breaking our laws, we will take action to revoke their status.
‘The time of contemptuously taking advantage of our nation’s generosity ends,’ he concluded.
