Chihuahua Governor Maru Campos Denies Pact with President Sheinbaum After Tense Meeting

Chihuahua Maru Campos denied reaching any pact or political understanding with President Claudia Sheinbaum regarding the detention of former state fiscal César Jáuregui. Speaking in an interview with Carlos Loret de Mola on LatinUs, Campos detailed a volatile meeting with the president on September 19, 2026, in Ciudad Juárez, where she said both leaders raised their voices and traded mutual reproaches over state security and federal accusations.

Maru Campos Details a Tense Meeting with Claudia Sheinbaum in Ciudad Juárez

The confrontation in Ciudad Juárez stemmed from deep-seated political friction and disagreements over security operations along the border. Campos told LatinUs that Sheinbaum harbored grievances over three primary issues: the presence of United States agents at a methamphetamine laboratory, the grievance because Campos had called her “the president of death,” and a perceived conflict with the United States caused by the foreign agents. The meeting took place in an office near the Ciudad Juárez airport and lasted between eight and ten minutes of intense arguing.

In response to the accusations about the president of death remark, Campos stated that she would have a conscience of it if she had said it, but nevertheless offered an apology to calm the room. Ya cuando cesaron las voces altas, le dije bueno, le pido una disculpa, pero le pido que revise en los medios de comunicación, Campos said during the broadcast. Campos defended the state’s security cooperation with the United States as a necessity given Chihuahua’s border location, while criticizing federal restrictions that she argued hinder joint law enforcement efforts against criminal organizations.

Accusations Against Morena Leadership and the Upcoming Gubernatorial Race

Beyond the closed-door confrontation with Sheinbaum, Campos pushed back against allegations that she agreed to surrender the state government to Morena in upcoming elections. She accused the mayor of Ciudad Juárez, Cruz Pérez Cuéllar, of being a “narco candidate” and vowed that the state would not yield to Morena. Campos cited polling placing the National Action Party six points ahead in the race.

Campos also shifted blame toward national Morena leadership, pointing directly at the president of Morena, Ariadna Montiel. She asserted without presenting evidence that Montiel is linked to the narco, and she raised this accusation directly during her meeting with Sheinbaum, prompting the president to respond defensively and counter that it was Campos who was involved.

Disputed Security Claims and the Aftermath of the Ex-Fiscal Arrest

The political clash comes in the wake of the legal proceedings initiated against former Chihuahua fiscal César Jáuregui. The state’s attorney general’s office conducted its own investigations and turned findings over to the state judiciary. Campos argued that federal authorities ignored multiple warnings regarding security vulnerabilities and youth recruitment by criminal groups in mountain municipalities, specifically in the Sierra Tarahumara and the region of Guadalupe and Calvo.

Despite the severe tensions and mutual reprimands, Campos indicated that the conversation eventually shifted to public safety topics, including ongoing coordination with Omar García Harfuch. Both leaders ultimately agreed not to publicly air the specific details of their verbal clash. Campos explicitly ruled out accepting a future diplomatic post as an ambassador.

More on Sheinbaum: Claudia Sheinbaum Rebukes Mauricio Kuri Over Querétaro Academy