Mexican Senators Brawl Over Alleged Calls for U.S. Intervention Against Drug Cartels

Senator Alejandro Moreno (L) of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) scuffles with Senator Gerardo Fernandez Norona of the National Regeneration Movement Party (Morena) during a session of the Permanent Commission of the Senate in Mexico City on August 27, 2025

A brawl erupted in the Mexican Senate Wednesday after a heated debate over alleged opposition calls for U.S. military intervention against drug cartels.

Opposition PRI leader Alejandro Moreno confronted Senate president Gerardo Fernandez Norona of the ruling Morena party as the session ended, accusing him of denying him the floor. Video footage shows Moreno pushing Norona multiple times, slapping him on the neck, and knocking down another legislator who attempted to intervene. The confrontation followed claims that the opposition PRI and PAN parties had called for U.S. military involvement, which both parties deny.

Norona stated he would file a complaint against Moreno for bodily harm and seek the revocation of his legislative immunity. “The debate could be very harsh, very bitter, very strong… today when opposition legislators are exposed for their treason, they lose their minds,” Norona said. Moreno, however, claimed Norona initiated the aggression, posting on social media that “the first physical aggression came from Norona. He threw the first shove, and he did it out of cowardice.”

Both senators are embroiled in separate controversies. Moreno faces potential impeachment for alleged corruption during his tenure as governor of Campeche state from 2015 to 2019. Norona has faced criticism for owning an expensive home while President Claudia Sheinbaum urges public officials to live modestly.

The clash comes amid heightened U.S. focus on Latin American drug cartels. President Donald Trump recently directed the Pentagon to use military force against drug trafficking organizations designated as terrorist groups, six of which are Mexican. Mexican officials, including President Sheinbaum, have repeatedly stressed that they would not accept U.S. military operations on Mexican soil.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that the terrorist designations allow Washington to use intelligence and defense resources to target cartel operations. In related developments, Venezuela deployed warships and drones to patrol its coastline after the United States dispatched three destroyers to the region to curb drug trafficking.