Marcelo Ebrard, former chancellor of Mexico, is in the midst of a controversial week. It all started with the departure of Jorge Islas, a close collaborator of Juan Ramón De la Fuente, from his office due to allegations of mistreatment by female foreign service employees and activists. The situation reached a point where Claudia Sheinbaum had to intervene.
It is speculated that behind this move was Roberto Velasco, coordinator for North America, who allegedly orchestrated actions with activists and media to harm Islas and maintain control over the consulates in the United States and Canada. The relationship between Ebrard and Velasco became tense when Ebrard left the Foreign Ministry and Velasco did not follow his path in a campaign that apparently had an uncertain destination.
Andrés Manuel López Obrador, president of Mexico, praised Velasco's actions, positioning him as a long-term official. This week, Ebrard also faced a subtle blow with the appointment of Jorge Gaviño in the IMSS secretariat, reviving the controversy surrounding the tragedy of Line 12 of the Mexico City Metro.
Ebrard has expressed his willingness to renegotiate the T-MEC with the Republicans, but he is being pointed out for possible secondary roads in his path. This adds to his return from a trip to Asia and the uncertainty of what his role in the cabinet would be if Donald Trump returned to the White House. Despite clarifying that his trip was vacation-related, Ebrard faces various challenges at the beginning of this administration.
On the other hand, the Secretary of Economy had to deal with the departure of Jorge Islas from the North American consulate coordination at the Foreign Ministry, adding more tension to the turbulent week that Marcelo Ebrard is experiencing.
