President Claudia Sheinbaum recently announced a historic drop in intentional homicides — the lowest in a decade. But while she celebrated the numbers, she still faced her biggest challenge: how to change Mexicans’ perception of insecurity and win their trust.
Sheinbaum unveiled data showing an impressive 42 percent decrease in intentional homicides from September 2024 to January 2026. According to official figures from the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (SESNSP), the daily average of victims fell from 86.9 to 50.9, meaning 36 fewer people are losing their lives every day compared to 16 months ago.
Sheinbaum credited the decrease to her National Security Strategy’s coordinated work between federal forces and state governments, as well as her social welfare programs designed to provide greater opportunities to the nation’s youth. Since a new security strategy was launched in June 2025, over 43,000 people have been detained for high-impact crimes, 22,832 firearms have been seized, and the country has seen a 38 percent reduction in extortion, the president said.
But while official data points to a dramatic improvement in security policy, the subjective experience of millions of Mexicans tells a different story.
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