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

Querétaro Governor Mauricio Kuri and U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson laid the academy’s cornerstone on October 2. The project was presented as an International Police Training Academy, or a facility for specialized training involving U.S. agencies. Its inauguration quickly became a national controversy because Mexico’s federal authorities said they had not been properly informed or asked for approval.

A leaked letter showed Kuri told Foreign Affairs Minister Roberto Velasco only that Johnson would visit Querétaro. The letter described the visit as ceremonial and did not mention the academy. The Foreign Affairs Ministry said security-training projects with a foreign government require approval from the High-Level Security Group, known as GANSEG.

President Sheinbaum said nine other Querétaro-U.S. cooperation projects had received federal approval since December 2021, but this academy had not. The episode highlighted tensions between state-level security initiatives, federal oversight, and Mexico’s control of foreign relations. Kuri and Velasco were expected to coordinate next steps.

“Unauthorized” does not mean that the academy was necessarily illegal in every respect. In this case, it means the project had not received the federal authorization required for security training involving a foreign government. The federal government said the corresponding Mexican authorities had not been told about or approved the project before its inauguration.

The key approval body is the High-Level Security Group, known as GANSEG. The Foreign Affairs Ministry said any security-training project with a foreign government must go through GANSEG first. A leaked letter showed Governor Mauricio Kuri had informed Foreign Affairs Minister Roberto Velasco about a visit by U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson, but not about the academy.

The distinction matters because Querétaro could pursue cooperation, but it had to follow Mexico’s national process. The ministry offered to help the state seek approval. President Claudia Sheinbaum also emphasized that bilateral security cooperation remains subject to Mexican law.

Mauricio Kuri acted as Querétaro’s governor and helped inaugurate the proposed police academy. He laid its cornerstone with U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson. Kuri’s role was to pursue a state-level security cooperation project, but he did not secure the federal authorization required before the inauguration.

The federal government, led by President Claudia Sheinbaum, reviewed whether the project complied with national procedures. Foreign Affairs Minister Roberto Velasco’s ministry said foreign-government security training requires approval from GANSEG. Security Minister Omar García Harfuch later told legislators that bilateral cooperation must follow Mexican law.

Johnson represented the United States in Mexico and supported the academy publicly. He called it a “State Interdiction Academy” and pointed to more than US $10 million in U.S. support for Querétaro police over the past decade. His participation showed American backing, but it did not replace Mexico’s federal approval process. The dispute led to plans for further meetings between Johnson and Velasco.

Mexico faced three major named-storm threats during the week: Hurricane Simon, Hurricane Isaias, and Tropical Storm Rachel. Simon posed the most immediate danger, strengthening to Category 4 status near the Pacific coast and threatening western Mexico. Isaias crossed near the Yucatán Peninsula before making U.S. landfall, while Rachel stayed offshore but could send remnants toward Baja California.

Simon threatened Jalisco and Colima, with possible impacts from Cihuatlán and Puerto Vallarta to Manzanillo. A hurricane warning covered parts of Michoacán, Jalisco, and Nayarit. Authorities evacuated El Rebalse, suspended classes in 22 Jalisco municipalities, and established command centers. Isaias brought heavy rain to Gulf coast and Yucatán Peninsula states.

The hazards extended beyond direct landfall. Rachel’s remnants were expected to move toward Baja California and the U.S. Southwest. Simon’s rainfall could reach 20 to 38 centimeters, with isolated totals of 64 centimeters. The different tracks showed how both Mexican coasts and nearby regions faced separate storm risks.

A Category 4 hurricane is an extremely powerful storm. On the standard Saffir-Simpson scale, it has sustained winds of at least 209 km/h and can cause catastrophic damage when it reaches land. Simon’s sustained winds reached 230 km/h, placing it firmly in that category as it approached Mexico’s west-central coast.

Such a storm can severely damage roofs, homes, power systems, roads, and vegetation. Coastal communities may also face dangerous waves, storm surge, and flooding. The article specifically forecast 20 to 38 centimeters of rain, with isolated totals reaching 64 centimeters. That rainfall could trigger flooding and landslides, especially in vulnerable areas.

Authorities identified possible impact zones from Cihuatlán and Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco to Manzanillo in Colima. They opened command centers, began evacuations in El Rebalse, and suspended classes in 22 municipalities. The National Hurricane Center said Simon’s exact track remained uncertain, so preparations covered several coastal communities.

The Pacific and Atlantic sides of Mexico are separate hurricane environments. Storms need warm ocean water, but their development also depends on wind shear, which can disrupt a storm’s organization. Conditions can therefore favor hurricanes in one basin while limiting them in the other during the same season.

The article gives a clear example. A “super” El Niño warmed Pacific waters, helping the Pacific produce nine hurricanes by Wednesday. At the same time, it raised wind shear in the Atlantic. Stronger wind shear makes it harder for Atlantic storms to strengthen or remain organized. The Atlantic had its first hurricane, Isaias, only on Wednesday night.

That contrast explains why Mexico saw major Pacific threats from Simon and Rachel while Atlantic activity remained comparatively delayed. The article notes that September was Mexico’s first hurricane-free Atlantic September since 1994. Basin conditions can change, however, so authorities still monitored both coasts and nearby regions.

Mexico’s federal system gives states room to manage local matters such as policing and public security. The national government, however, handles foreign relations and establishes rules for cooperation with foreign governments. Security projects that cross that international boundary therefore require more than a state-level announcement.

Querétaro’s government pursued a training academy with U.S. support and its governor helped inaugurate it. But the Foreign Affairs Ministry said projects involving foreign-government security training must receive approval from GANSEG. The federal Security Cabinet, Foreign Ministry, and other national authorities had not been invited or properly informed before the ceremony.

This division allows states to seek practical security assistance while preserving national control over international commitments. President Sheinbaum said nine other Querétaro-U.S. cooperation projects had received federal approval since December 2021, but not this academy. The episode showed that state initiatives must align with federal law and coordination.