• What Happened: Mexican Senator Lilly Téllez told Fox News that Mexico is a narco-state where cartel money put Morena politicians in power and the government actively protects drug lords in return.
  • Why It Matters: Téllez says President Sheinbaum does not genuinely want U.S. help against cartels, warns Mexico is heading toward becoming the next Venezuela, and claims Sheinbaum has threatened her with criminal prosecution for speaking out.
  • Bottom Line: The clip, originally from August 2025, resurfaced powerfully in early 2026 as cartel violence and political tensions between the U.S. and Mexico continue to escalate.

A sitting Mexican senator just looked into an American camera and said out loud what many have long suspected: Mexico is a narco-state, and the government is in on it.

Senator Lilly Téllez of Mexico's PAN opposition party sat down with Fox News and delivered one of the most explosive interviews to come out of Latin America in years. When the host asked her directly whether Mexico was a narco-state, she did not hesitate.

"Yes, it is. And we all Mexicans know about it. And Mexicans are afraid of the alliance between the Mexican government and the cartels that have infested our nation," Téllez said.

She went further. "The cartels have given so much money to these politicians, narco-politicians of Morena, to get into office, to get the power. So they protect, the Mexican government protects the cartels."

Téllez accused President Claudia Sheinbaum of putting on a performance for American audiences by handing over a handful of cartel members while blocking any real cooperation with U.S. efforts to dismantle the drug networks flooding fentanyl across the border. "She really doesn't want the help of the United States," Téllez said plainly.

The senator did not stop there. She warned that Mexico is "on the steps to be the next Venezuela," with Sheinbaum aligning herself with the dictatorships in Caracas and Havana while republican institutions inside Mexico continue to crumble.

And she is paying a personal price for saying so. Téllez told Fox News she fears for her life and claims Sheinbaum has threatened criminal prosecution to remove her from the Senate and throw her in jail simply for telling the truth on American television.

Sheinbaum responded by calling Téllez a traitor for speaking to foreign media.

When they cannot refute the facts, they attack the messenger. Senator Téllez is sounding the alarm. Americans living next door to this crisis should be listening.