On November 1, 2025, the city of Uruapan in western Mexico was rocked by a brutal act of violence: Carlos Manzo, the city’s mayor, was assassinated during Day of the Dead celebrations. The attack, carried out by a 17-year-old gunman as Manzo participated in a public event, sent shockwaves through Michoacan and the nation. It wasn’t just another grim statistic—Manzo became the ninth mayor killed in Mexico since President Claudia Sheinbaum’s inauguration just over a year ago, but this particular killing sparked a wave of outrage and urgent calls for action.
According to the Associated Press, the murder took place in full public view. Manzo had just handed his child to someone else when he was shot seven times by a hooded assailant. The brazen nature of the attack, and the fact that Manzo had been a vocal critic of the federal government’s handling of organized crime, made his death a rallying point for citizens and officials alike. Protests erupted across Michoacan, with residents demanding that the government finally confront the relentless violence that has plagued the region for years.
Michoacan, a state of 4.7 million people, sits strategically on Mexico’s Pacific coast. Its location has made it a hotbed for the production and trafficking of synthetic opioids like fentanyl, as well as methamphetamine, heroin, and cannabis. But it’s not just drugs that fuel the violence—agriculture, too, is a lucrative target. Citrus and avocado producers, especially lime and avocado growers, have long been victims of extortion, kidnappings, and killings at the hands of powerful cartels. As reported by Dow Jones & Company, a leader of lime growers was killed in October 2025 after repeatedly denouncing extortion demands, underscoring the pervasiveness of cartel influence in everyday life.
The killing of Manzo, the seventh mayor murdered in Michoacan since 2022, forced President Sheinbaum and her administration to respond decisively. On November 9, 2025, Sheinbaum stood before the nation at the National Palace and announced the Michoacan Plan for Peace and Justice, a sweeping initiative that would see a surge in military and National Guard presence in the troubled state. "In recent days, we have seen pain and outrage over the cowardly murder of the mayor of Uruapan. We share that sentiment. His cowardly murder hurts all of Michoacan and the entire country," Sheinbaum declared, as quoted by Deutsche Welle.
Defense Secretary Ricardo Trevilla Trejo detailed the deployment: nearly 2,000 additional security forces would be sent to Michoacan starting November 10, 2025, bringing the total number of federal troops in the state to over 10,000. About half of these forces will be tasked with a containment strategy—trying to keep criminals from crossing state lines, a daunting challenge given Michoacan’s porous borders and the fluid operations of multiple criminal organizations, including those in neighboring Jalisco.
But boots on the ground are only part of the plan. Sheinbaum’s security chief, Omar García Harfuch, announced that additional intelligence resources would be sent to Michoacan to help develop investigations against organized crime groups. "Those who generate violence, those who commit crimes, those who harm Michoacan families and the Mexican people will be investigated, arrested and taken before the law," García Harfuch stated, reflecting a new determination to pursue prosecutions that have too often stalled in the past.
This marks a shift in approach from Sheinbaum’s predecessor, ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, whose security strategy was often criticized as too passive. Sheinbaum’s administration has shown a greater willingness to confront the country’s powerful drug cartels head-on. Still, she insists that the solution cannot rely solely on force. “Security problems cannot be addressed only with force,” Sheinbaum emphasized, echoing her belief that addressing the root causes of violence—unemployment, poverty, and lack of opportunities—is essential for lasting peace.
To that end, the government’s plan includes a hefty investment: 57 billion pesos (approximately $3.10 billion or €2.68 billion) will be funneled into Michoacan, not just for security operations, but also for social programs. Scholarships for students will be expanded, aiming to keep children in school and reduce the lure of organized crime. Young people will be encouraged to participate in sports, and resources will be bolstered in key sectors like agriculture and tourism. According to the Associated Press, much of the funding will support existing government initiatives that tackle poverty, unemployment, and healthcare—issues the administration sees as fueling the violence.
Governor Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla, a member of Sheinbaum’s Morena party and present at the announcement, brought a personal perspective to the crisis. He recalled that his own father, a lawyer and rancher, was killed in Uruapan nearly four decades ago—a grim reminder of how deeply entrenched the violence is in Michoacan’s history.
Despite the military buildup and social investment, the challenge remains formidable. Michoacan is a battleground for numerous organized crime groups vying for control of drug routes, highways, and the vital Pacific port of Lazaro Cardenas, a key entry point for chemical precursors used in the manufacture of fentanyl and methamphetamines. The cartels’ grip on local economies is ironclad. As reported by United Press International and other outlets, nearly anyone with a business—especially in the avocado and lime industries—can become a target for extortion.
International pressure has also played a role. The Trump administration, for example, applied tariffs on Mexican imports in an effort to force Mexico to stem the flow of drugs into the United States. President Donald Trump has offered U.S. help in pursuing the cartels, but Sheinbaum has drawn a clear line: Mexico will accept intelligence assistance, but never direct intervention by U.S. forces on Mexican soil.
Sheinbaum pledged to keep Michoacan’s security situation on the national agenda, promising to address the state’s progress every two weeks in her daily morning press briefings. "To all Michoacan residents we say: you are not alone, your president and the entire Mexican government support you," she said, signaling her commitment to sustained attention and action.
The stakes are high. In the 13 months since Sheinbaum took office, nine mayors have been killed across Mexico. In Michoacan, the cycle of violence, extortion, and impunity has persisted for years, leaving communities in a state of fear and uncertainty. The Michoacan Plan for Peace and Justice represents the government’s most ambitious effort yet to break that cycle—combining military force, intelligence operations, and sweeping social programs in a bid to restore order and hope.
Whether this multifaceted strategy will succeed where others have failed remains to be seen. But for the people of Michoacan, and for the memory of Carlos Manzo and so many others lost to cartel violence, there is at last a sense that their cries for help have been heard at the highest levels of government.
