Photo: The Pulse News Mexico Staff

By KELIN DILLON

During her daily morning press conference on Friday, March 21, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (CSP) rebuffed El Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele’s criticisms of Mexico’s ongoing security crisis.

Just one day prior, Bukele said Mexico should be able to solve its violence problem since El Salvador successfully reduced its crime rate by large margins  – even though Mexico’s population of 129 million dwarfs El Salvador’s population of six million.

Bukele suggested that Mexico address organized crime on a state-by-state basis, which could allow more targeted approaches to address the nation’s organized crime.

“28 of Mexico’s 32 states have a population equal to or less than that of El Salvador,” said the El Salvadorian president. “Why, then, can’t they solve the security issue in a single state with fewer inhabitants than El Salvador, given the resources of a country with 130 million people?”

However, on Friday, Sheinbaum responded to Bukele’s criticisms by saying she “will not enter into debate” with her fellow Latin American leader.

“The truth is, we could have a whole debate about how the Salvadorans are dealing with crime,” said Sheinbaum, alluding to El Salvador’s controversial mass incarcerations in open-air prisons. 

“At the same time, we ask for respect for Mexico. Respect is always the hallmark of diplomacy, so have respect for what we do in our country,” concluded CSP.