In a letter to the media on Wednesday, Mexico’s president requested Joe Biden to halt USAID from sponsoring groups antagonistic to his administration, repeating prior Mexican accusations of U.S. interventionism.
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador did not specify which Mexican groups the U.S. should stop sponsoring. Still, he has accused many media organizations of supporting a conservative campaign against his government.
“The U.S. government, specifically USAID, has for some time been financing organizations openly against the legal and legitimate government I represent,” he said.
“This is clearly an interventionist act, contrary to international law and the relations which should prevail between free and sovereign states.”
The letter requested Biden’s action after the State Department stated that USAID would boost financing for such organizations.
In 2021, Mexico wrote to USAID urging it to stop sponsoring government-critical NGOs.
The president has slammed USAID-backed free speech organization Article 19 and Mexicans against Corruption and Impunity (MCCI), which has long reported on suspected corruption and lack of transparency in the current and prior governments.
State Department, USAID, MCCI, and Article 19 did not reply to requests for comment.
The new letter comes days after Lopez Obrador endorsed a plan to abolish Mexico’s freedom of information authority, INAI, arguing that many autonomous entities are biased against him and squander public cash.
On Tuesday, the U.S. announced a program to shield journalists worldwide against legal threats.
The State Department confirmed complaints of media and free speech limitations in Mexico, the deadliest country for journalists last year.
The State Department and USAID’s $63.1 billion 2024 budget “will make it possible for us to continue to promote U.S. national interests and lead the world in tackling global challenges,” the U.S. claims.
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