Hilda Araceli Brown has decided that the best defense is standing still. The former Rosarito mayor, now sitting comfortably in Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies, says she has no plans to give up her seat just because the United States insists she was part of a Sinaloa Cartel extortion ring. “I have the right to the presumption of innocence,” she told reporters, repeating it like a mantra. She insists she has the public backing of Morena, her political party, and that the only thing that matters is “continuing to legislate the initiatives of our President.”
Brown’s line hasn’t changed since Treasury put her on the sanctions list: deny, carry on, claim innocence. The new wrinkle is visibility. She turned up in Mexicali at an event for President Claudia Sheinbaum, smiling and clapping along with the faithful. When asked why she hadn’t resigned, she brushed it off with the same phrase: no reason to step down. “The important thing,” she said, “is to keep working for the transformation.”
Opposition lawmakers smell blood
Juan Zavala of Movimiento Ciudadano has already filed for a political trial, arguing that congressional immunity cannot be used as a shield for anyone accused of betraying public trust. In the halls of San Lázaro, PAN veteran María Elena Pérez-Jaén confronted Brown directly, urging her to take leave until the accusations clear. Brown’s response was short: “Don’t harass me.” Cameras rolled, the crowd leaned in, and Brown kept walking.
Meanwhile, Morena’s congressional leadership prefers to look the other way. Ricardo Monreal said flatly that there is nothing concrete in Mexico to justify a criminal process or stripping Brown of her seat. He stressed the need for actual evidence from prosecutors before anything could happen. In practice that means nothing will happen until someone forces the issue.
President Sheinbaum herself has been cautious. She admitted that Mexico’s Financial Intelligence Unit reviewed the U.S. claims weeks ago and even considered joint work, but concluded there was not enough evidence to freeze Brown’s accounts under Mexican law. In the absence of hard proof, she said, there is no case for money laundering.
The U.S. Treasury sees it differently. Their release names Brown alongside Rosarito businessmen Jesús González Lomelí, owner of bars like Bombay Beach Club, Coco Beach Club, and Mariscos El Caimán, and political operator Candelario Arcega. Together, Washington says, they funneled extortion payments to the Arzate brothers and ensured the Rosarito police provided cover. It is as damning as it is detailed.
Brown, for her part, seems confident that repeating “presumption of innocence” loudly enough will make the storm pass. For now, she keeps her seat, keeps her salary, and keeps showing up at party rallies. The Americans have blacklisted her, opposition deputies are filing motions, and her critics are calling her out on the steps of Congress. Yet in Mexico’s political calendar, it is still business as usual.
