Mexico’s week in review: An unauthorized police academy stirs a security row with US as triple storm threat keeps coasts on alert

Mexico experienced a tumultuous week as the country dealt with a controversial police training academy, an incoming hurricane, and various other issues. Hurricane Simon, a Category 4 storm, was poised to make landfall in Jalisco and Colima on Sunday, with heavy rainfall and winds reaching up to 230 km/h (145 mph). Tropical Storm Rachel, though slightly weaker, posed minimal threat to the Mexican coastline.

Politically, the controversy surrounding the International Police Training Academy in Querétaro came to a head after Governor Mauricio Kuri held a ceremony with U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson, who had pledged $10 million in support for the facility. The Mexican government claimed that such a project required federal authorization but found no record of it. The absence of the military, Security Cabinet, and Foreign Ministry from the event raised suspicions about potential U.S. involvement.

President Claudia Sheinbaum addressed the situation by questioning the legality of the academy, which was never disclosed to Mexican authorities. She insisted that any security training project with a foreign government required prior approval from the High-Level Security Group (GANSEG), which had not been granted. Sheinbaum also mentioned that nine Querétaro-US cooperation projects had been approved since December 2021.

On the hurricane front, Hurricane Isaias had recently made landfall in Florida, with Tropical Storm Rachel posing a minor threat. Meanwhile, in Nayarit, authorities discovered an alleged "extermination center" in Tepic, where they found a makeshift burner and a pit containing cremated remains. The site's connection to criminal activity remained unconfirmed, but it underscored the ongoing disappearance crisis, with over 130,000 people registered as missing.