Tempers boiled over in Mexico’s Senate on Wednesday as lawmakers traded shoves, slaps, and accusations following a heated dispute about U.S. military involvement in the fight against drug cartels.
What happened?
The confrontation began at the close of the day’s session, just after senators sang the national anthem. Alejandro “Alito” Moreno, leader of the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), approached Senate president Gerardo Fernández Noroña of the ruling Morena party, demanding the chance to speak.
Livestream footage showed Moreno grabbing Fernández Noroña’s arm while repeatedly insisting, “I’m asking you to let me speak.” Fernández Noroña pulled back, replying, “Don’t touch me.” The two then shoved each other, with Moreno slapping Fernández Noroña on the neck and knocking over an aide who tried to intervene. Another lawmaker even swung at Fernández Noroña as he tried to exit the podium.
The accusations
At a press conference, Fernández Noroña accused Moreno of threatening him, claiming he was told: “I’m going to beat the s— out of you, I’m going to kill you.” He vowed to file a criminal complaint and to push for the expulsion of Moreno and three other PRI lawmakers.
Moreno rejected that version, insisting that Fernández Noroña provoked the scuffle and threw the first shove. On social media, he wrote: “He did it out of cowardice. When he couldn’t silence us with arguments, he resorted to aggression.”
Why the fight broke out
The clash followed a tense debate in which Morena senators accused the opposition PRI and PAN parties of backing U.S. military intervention against Mexico’s cartels. Both parties denied the charge, but earlier this week a PAN senator told Fox News that American assistance in fighting cartels would be “absolutely welcome.”
The issue is politically explosive in Mexico, particularly after former U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly authorized the Pentagon to target cartels in Latin America designated as terrorist organizations. President Claudia Sheinbaum has flatly rejected the idea, declaring earlier this month: “There will be no invasion of Mexico.”
The wider context
Both Moreno and Fernández Noroña are controversial figures in their own right. Moreno faces possible impeachment over corruption allegations tied to his time as governor of Campeche, while Fernández Noroña has been criticized for his lavish lifestyle despite President Sheinbaum’s calls for public officials to live modestly.
For now, Mexico’s Senate is bracing for an emergency session on Friday, where disciplinary action — including potential expulsions — will be on the table.
