The Mexican Senate is set to define the appointment of Roberto Velasco as head of the Secretariat of Foreign Relations (SRE), proposed by President Claudia Sheinbaum to replace Juan Ramón de la Fuente. At the end of the meeting, the president of the Jucopo, Ignacio Mier, highlighted the tone of the exchange: "It was a meeting of direct, open, and frank dialogue between the Secretary and the members of the Board." Velasco's appointment took place on April 1, after Juan Ramón de la Fuente requested a leave of absence for health reasons. In the ruling coalition, there is confidence that the process will move forward smoothly with majority support. The president of the Senate Board, Laura Itzel Castillo, confirmed the formal receipt of the nomination and anticipated the start of the parliamentary process. Velasco held a meeting with the Political Coordination Board (Jucopo), a key body for defining the pace of the legislative process. "In the Chamber of Senators, we will analyze and exercise our exclusive faculty to determine his ratification," he stated through his social networks. A few minutes ago, we received the appointment made by President @Claudiasheinal C. Roberto Velasco Álvarez @r_velascoa as the new Secretary of Foreign Relations @SRE_mx. From the PAN parliamentary group, they confirmed to LPO that they held a meeting with Velasco in a "cordial" and "propositive" manner, although they emphasized the need for a foreign policy with greater balance: "There must be a solid institutional coordination with the government of the United States, with good coordination on issues of common interest," they indicated. Manuel Anorve Banos, coordinator of the PRI, stated that during the Jucopo meeting, the "issues that interest the country" were put on the table, referring to migration, USMCA, and the bilateral relationship with the United States. Regarding the PRI's stance, the senator announced that during the course of the day they "will define the sense of the vote," but stressed that they will act with "responsibility and arguments." Until then, the now-Chancellor had served as Undersecretary for North America, a position from which he played a central role in the bilateral relationship with the United States. In the Chamber of Senators, we will analyze and exercise our exclusive faculty to... pic.twitter.com/8fUetZQuj0 — Laura Itzel Castillo Juárez (@LauraI_Castillo) April 7, 2026. The movement in the Upper Chamber began early. Subsequently, the opinion will be taken to the plenary session for its vote this same Wednesday. In the opposition, while there is no frontal rejection, some reservations remain.
