Tamaulipas is a Mexican state on the Gulf of Mexico, bordering southeastern Texas to the north. The governor of Tamaulipas, Francisco Javier García Cabeza de Vaca, has been accused by federal authorities of ties to organized crime, illicit enrichment, and tax fraud. He is also a dual citizen of Mexico and the United States, having been born in McAllen, Texas.
Despite his claims of innocence, Tamaulipas has been plagued by violence and insecurity for years, as rival cartels fight for control of the lucrative drug trafficking routes along the border with the U.S. The cities involved include Reynosa, San Fernando, Rio Bravo, and Matamoros. One of the most affected cities is Nuevo Laredo, across the Rio Grande from Laredo, Texas, where shootouts between cartel gunmen and security forces are frequent and often last for hours.
One of the most recent clashes occurred on October 15, 2022, when a convoy of armed vehicles belonging to the Cartel del Noreste (CDN), a splinter group of the Gulf Cartel, attacked a military base in Nuevo Laredo. The attack triggered a fierce response from the army and the National Guard, who engaged in a gun battle with the assailants that lasted for more than two hours and spread to several parts of the city.
The intensity of the shootout was such that the mayor of Nuevo Laredo, Enrique Rivas Cuellar, had to send out social media warnings asking the public to shelter in place and avoid unnecessary travel. He also urged the federal government to send more troops and resources to combat the cartel threat.
However, the U.S. Consulate in Nuevo Laredo, which had been diligent in issuing warnings of shootouts in the city in the past, remained curiously silent during the clashes. No official explanation was given for this unusual behavior, but some speculated that it could be related to the diplomatic tensions between Mexico and the U.S. over the extradition request for García Cabeza de Vaca.
Violence broke out again in Nuevo Laredo on Thursday, May 18, when gunmen from the CDN clashed with the Mexican Army. The shootouts spread to various parts of the city as CDN gunmen (who like to call themselves the “Hell’s Troops”) sent in gunmen in armored vehicles to fight the Mexican soldiers. During the fracas, the military killed four gunmen and injured a fifth. Casualties on the government side were not available.
The governor of Tamaulipas has been fighting to keep his immunity from prosecution since February 2021, when the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) requested his removal from office. The request was approved by the lower house of Congress in April 2021, but rejected by the Tamaulipas Congress in May 2021. The case is currently pending before the Mexican Supreme Court, which has yet to rule on whether García Cabeza de Vaca can be tried by federal authorities.
Meanwhile, the people of Tamaulipas continue to suffer from the consequences of living in a state where cartels have more power than the government. According to official data, Tamaulipas recorded 1,053 homicides in 2021, an increase of 8.6% compared to 2020. It also ranked as the third most violent state in Mexico, behind Guanajuato and Baja California.
In this context, it is by no means certain that the new governor-elect of Tamaulipas, Dr. Americo Villarreal Anaya, from the ruling Morena party, will be able to change the situation or face similar challenges as his predecessor. Villarreal Anaya won the election on June 6, 2022, with 49.99% of the vote, defeating Cesar Augusto Verastegui Ostos from the PRIAN coalition, who got 44.20%. Villarreal Anaya is a medical doctor and a former senator who has promised to fight corruption and improve public security in his state.
However, given that Mexico is in essence a failed state with a divided Congress and a corrupt federal government, whether he will succeed or fail remains to be seen.
For more, see Breitbart News.