Mexican President Admits Cartel Released Kidnapped Migrants, Confirms Breitbart Reporting

Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador was forced to admit that the Gulf Cartel released a group of 32 kidnapped migrants — dismissing previous government claims that police and military forces had rescued the group. The statements by Lopez Obrador confirm details first published by Breitbart Texas, revealing that officials with the Tamaulipas government and the federal government had tried to take credit for the release of the migrants.

During his morning news conference, President Lopez Obrador (AMLO) told news outlets that after the kidnapping, the gunmen took the migrants to another location, but after a heavy deployment of military and police forces, “They decided to set them free … so good, safe and sound,” he said.

He further stated that the gunmen loaded the migrants up into a public transit bus (pesera) and dropped them off in the parking lot of a shopping center where “the rescue took place.”

The statements by Lopez Obrador confirm an exclusive story by Breitbart Texas where the Tamaulipas government tried to take credit for the rescue when, in fact, government officials had contacted the Gulf Cartel about the release.

The incident began on December 30, when a group of 32 migrants traveling on a commercial bus from the Senda company was traveling from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, to the border city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Breitbart Texas reported. Initial police reports pointed to 36 migrants riding in the bus, but new information points to 37 since authorities were not counting a one-year-old child who was with his mother and did not need a bus ticket.

Near the city of Nuevo Progreso, Tamaulipas, Gulf Cartel gunmen intercepted the bus, forced the 37 passengers off, and kidnapped them in several vehicles.

Authorities were able to rescue five of the migrants soon after when they spotted a suspicious vehicle that tried to avoid being pulled over. Two gunmen ran away, leaving behind five migrants.

Since the start of the incident, the Tamaulipas government has tried to hide information about the case and denied various reports about the ongoing cartel violence in the region. Lopez Obrador has been an ardent supporter of Tamaulipas Governor Americo Villarreal, a politician who has previously been outed by Breitbart Texas as having helped the Gulf Cartel since taking office in exchange for political and financial support.

A video shared in late 2022 captured a conversation between Nohemi Estrella Leal, the daughter of a Gulf Cartel leader, and her daughter where they claimed that once Americo Villarreal took office, they would be protected.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..