The Congress of Peru has approved, with 63 votes in favor and 34 against, to declare persona non grata to the president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum. The South American country in this way worsens the break in relations that it adopted in . The conflict stems from the decision of the Mexican authorities to grant asylum in their embassy in Lima to Betssy Chávez, Pedro Castillo’s former prime minister. The Mexican Government defended the protection by ensuring that Chávez is a persecuted politician and emphasizing that asylum cannot be considered an unfriendly gesture between nations, according to the United Nations (UN).
Mexico has rejected the measure adopted by the Peruvian Legislature. “It is motivated by false approaches,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) in a statement. “Mexico has not intervened in any way in the internal affairs of Peru, faithful to its normative principles of foreign policy and its solid diplomatic tradition,” which insists that Chávez’s asylum was decided only in “strict adherence to international law.”
The conflict between both nations goes back a long time. The Foreign Relations Commission of the Peruvian Congress last declared Sheinbaum persona non grata for not rejecting Castillo’s coup attempt and for having advocated for the release of the man who was president between 2021 and 2022. In those days, in addition, the Mexican president received Guido Croxatto, Castillo’s lawyer, at the National Palace. The legislative initiative did not prosper then, as it did not have the necessary votes to reach the plenary session. Today he did achieve it thanks to the climate of tension that both nations have reached.
During this Thursday’s session, Ernesto Bustamante, the vice president of the Foreign Relations Commission, disqualified Sheinbaum, accusing her of having a close relationship with drug trafficking. “We cannot allow a person like this, who is in bed with drug trafficking and who distracts his people from the real problems that should be addressed, to get into Peruvian problems. It is only up to us to decide what to do with Betssy Chávez or with any other congressman who wants to seek asylum in an embassy,” Bustamante attacked.
The problems between Mexico and Peru intensified this Monday, when the Mexican State granted asylum to Chávez, accused in her country of being one of the authors of the democratic breakdown. The politician was in preventive detention until a few weeks ago and was absent from the most recent hearings against her for the crime of conspiracy. His defense argued that Chávez had health problems, but he unexpectedly went to the Mexican embassy. Since then, he has been in the house in the district of San Isidro waiting for the Peruvian State to give him safe passage to travel to Mexico, which could arrive in the next few hours.
Bustamante, a parliamentarian for Fuerza Popular, the political group led by the heirs of Alberto Fujimori, pointed out at another point in the parliamentary debate that Mexico’s position “has crossed the limits of mutual respect and sovereignty” since the mandate of Andrés Manuel López Obrador. The legislator highlighted the strong “ideological bias” of the former Mexican president, who was unaware of Dina Boluarte’s investiture and refused to hand her over. In the case of Sheinbaum, Bustamante stressed that he has “repeatedly defended (Pedro) Castillo as if he were really the current legitimate president of Peru.”
Peru respects itself! 🇵🇪 The Congress of the Republic approved declaring the president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, persona non grata, for her unacceptable interference in the internal affairs of Peru.
— Congress of Peru 🇵🇪 (@congresoperu)
Some congressmen such as Ruth Luque, from the Popular Democratic Bloc, have criticized the measure against Sheinbaum and have defended the decision of the Mexican State to asylum Betssy Chávez. “They prefer to allocate time to continue wearing down the political relationship with a country that can grant them asylum within the framework of international law, but they do not want to address the use of a chamber of Congress for an act of political proselytism,” he said in reference to a rally where Keiko Fujimori announced her candidacy for the 2026 general elections, and State resources were used to cover the event.
Under the motto of “Peru is respected!”, the official Congress account has reported on its social networks the declaration of persona non grata of the president of Mexico. She is not the first ruler with whom Peru has had friction in recent times. In 2023, during , Gustavo Petro and precisely Andrés Manuel López Obrador were declared persona non grata. Both showed fierce opposition against Boluarte.
His successor José Jerí, after having taken over as president of Congress, continues on the same path. “We also did not agree when she expressed herself regarding the internal affairs of our country, and I think we have maintained cordiality as much as possible,” he recently declared about Sheinbaum’s position. Regarding the safe passage that Betssy Chávez needs to travel to Mexico, Jerí has been elusive. “It is an issue that we are analyzing. There is a need to carry out the corresponding legal studies to proceed with a response.” However, it is said that the Peruvian State will grant it in the next few hours.
