The smoke-filled streets of Los Angeles where armored personnel carriers lined intersections and helicopters scanned protest lines, a new diplomatic rift burst into headlines—this time not between Washington and Beijing or Tehran, but between South Dakota and Mexico City.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem accused Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum of “instigating violence” during the ongoing Los Angeles unrest, a claim that has been sharply denounced by Mexico and has thrust the newly inaugurated president into the center of America’s renewed immigration battle.
Speaking on Fox News on Tuesday, Noem alleged that Sheinbaum had “openly encouraged violent elements in California” and that Mexican-backed “radical groups” were behind the protests erupting in the wake of ICE raids that swept through immigrant neighborhoods earlier this week. “Mexico is no longer just sending people across the border—they’re sending ideology and insurrection,” Noem declared, without citing evidence.
According to The Los Angeles Times, the protests were triggered after a wave of federal immigration raids were conducted across greater Los Angeles, targeting undocumented residents and sparking outrage across communities already fearful of renewed mass deportation under President Trump’s restored “zero-tolerance” approach to immigration policy.
Mexico strikes back: “We will not be your scapegoat”
The Sheinbaum administration swiftly rejected Washington’s accusations, calling them politically motivated and “absolutely false.” Speaking from the National Palace, President Claudia Sheinbaum emphasized that her government supports peaceful diaspora demonstrations but condemned violence unequivocally. “We categorically deny these baseless claims,” she said in response to allegations that she incited unrest in Los Angeles—allegations first raised by US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
As reported by Spanish El País, Sheinbaum clarified that “Mexico supports the right to protest, but not violence.” This sentiment was echoed in her official statement, also cited by Reuters, where she warned against “unfounded rhetoric coming from Washington.” While Foreign Secretary Alicia Bárcena has not publicly commented, diplomatic officials confirmed to Times of India that Mexico has activated formal channels to address what it views as a deliberate mischaracterization of its position.
According to Bloomberg, During a press briefing Tuesday night, Sheinbaum stated, “Mexico has neither the interest nor the need to interfere in US domestic affairs. But we cannot stay silent when our citizens—immigrants and their families—are treated with brutality in your streets.” Her remarks were broadcast live by Bloomberg, which noted Mexico’s diplomatic escalation and the summoning of the US Ambassador to Mexico for formal protest consultations.
From Fox to far-right, the rhetoric escalates
Noem’s accusation has since been echoed by figures within the Trump campaign. Stephen Miller, former senior Trump advisor and known architect of the 2018 family separation policy, said in an interview with Newsmax that Mexico is “using soft power to destabilize American sovereignty.” He added, “Sheinbaum is just the latest globalist leader trying to break our borders.”
Meanwhile, the official Trump campaign released a statement warning of “foreign state interference” in civil unrest, stating “the Biden-Obama-Clinton policies are dead. President Trump will restore law and order—starting with the border.”
Reuters confirmed that a Trump aide directly criticized Sheinbaum’s alleged “leftist provocation” and hinted at legislative measures to penalize Mexico if any evidence is found of financial links to US-based activist groups.
On the streets of LA, the story is different
Despite the diplomatic drama unfolding, the protesters themselves have a different perspective. “No one told us to protest—our lives told us to,” said Carlos Mendoza, a 27-year-old teacher and DACA recipient arrested in Boyle Heights. “We’re marching because our families are being dragged out in vans.”
According to LAPD reports, over 150 people have been detained since Sunday, while dozens of protest sites have been dispersed using tear gas, pepper balls, and riot control measures. The majority of the unrest centers around East LA, Huntington Park, and the Pico-Union corridor—areas with large Hispanic immigrant populations.
Civil rights organizations including the ACLU and MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) have issued legal warnings and are documenting alleged abuses during the raids and curfew enforcement.
Expert warnings: Political gains, diplomatic losses
Experts in US-Mexico relations fear that this new wave of finger-pointing could sabotage years of slow but critical progress in binational cooperation.
This is an outrageous attempt to internationalize domestic failure, said Dr. Blanca Solano, a political science professor at UCLA. If anything, Sheinbaum is being used as a mirror for America’s refusal to look inward.
Indeed, Sheinbaum had just taken office promising pragmatic cooperation with Washington on trade, border security, and climate initiatives. But her firm pro-human rights stance—especially her vocal criticism of militarized border enforcement—makes her an easy target for Trumpist hawks.
She’s exactly the leader the Trump camp fears: a woman, a scientist, a progressive, and unafraid to call out US hypocrisy, said Solano.
Scapegoating can’t silence crisis
As armored vehicles continue patrolling the streets of South Central Los Angeles and helicopters surveil largely Hispanic neighborhoods, a diplomatic storm brews across the border. Mexico has rejected scapegoating. Immigrant families demand justice. And protestors vow not to be silenced.
blaming Claudia Sheinbaum for the unrest in Los Angeles may win Kristi Noem airtime—but it won’t solve the deeper crisis gripping American cities: a crisis of identity, accountability, and power.
