Brawl Erupts in Mexican Senate Over U.S. Military Role in Fighting Cartels [WATCH]

A violent confrontation broke out in Mexico’s Congress of the Union on Thursday as lawmakers clashed during a heated dispute over the potential involvement of U.S. military forces in combating Mexico’s powerful drug cartels.

The altercation began after the conclusion of the legislative session, which ended with the national anthem.

Alejandro “Alito” Moreno, leader of the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), confronted Senate president Gerardo Fernández Noroña of the ruling Morena party.

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In video clips that quickly circulated online, Moreno is seen grabbing Noroña’s jacket as he demanded the opportunity to speak.

“I’m asking you to let me speak,” Moreno repeated in the footage.

“Don’t touch me,” Noroña replied, attempting to disengage.

The situation escalated as the two men exchanged shoves. An aide to Noroña who tried to intervene was knocked to the ground by Moreno.

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Before Noroña could separate himself from the confrontation, another senator from the opposition joined in and took a swing at him.

Noroña later described the confrontation to reporters, alleging that Moreno threatened him directly.

“[Moreno] started to provoke me, to touch me, to pull at me,” Noroña said.

“He hit me on the arms and said: ‘I’m going to beat the s**t out of you, I’m going to kill you.’”

Moreno defended his conduct in a statement posted to social media.

“When Noroña crossed the line, he knew exactly what he was doing,” he wrote.

“I will always respond head-on, with character and without fear, to defend Mexico and give it the direction it deserves.”

The incident came after a tense debate in which opposition lawmakers from the PRI and the National Action Party (PAN) were accused of backing U.S. military intervention against Mexico’s cartels.

Both parties have denied supporting the idea of a foreign “takeover” of Mexico’s security operations.

The controversy was fueled earlier in the week when a PAN senator appeared on Fox News and said that “help from the United States to fight the cartels in Mexico is absolutely welcome.”

That statement triggered backlash from Morena lawmakers, who argued that the comments undermined Mexico’s sovereignty.

President Claudia Sheinbaum has also rejected calls from President Trump to allow U.S. forces into Mexico, saying her government is capable of managing its own security challenges.

Sheinbaum has faced pressure to strengthen Mexico’s response to cartel violence as demands grow for greater cooperation with the United States.

On Friday, Noroña convened an emergency session of the Senate, during which he proposed expelling Moreno and three additional lawmakers who were involved in the scuffle, according to reports from the Guardian.

The suggestion underscored the seriousness with which ruling party lawmakers are treating the incident.

In a parallel development, Sheinbaum announced this week that her government had reached an agreement with U.S. authorities to transfer 26 cartel leaders to American prisons to serve out their sentences.

The arrangement stipulates that U.S. prosecutors will not seek the death penalty.

Among those transferred is a suspect accused of involvement in the 2008 killing of a Los Angeles County deputy sheriff.

It marks the second such transfer Sheinbaum’s administration has carried out since President Trump took office.

The physical confrontation in the Senate highlighted how debates over security and sovereignty have intensified as Mexico confronts cartel violence and increasing pressure to collaborate with U.S. authorities.

The combination of political clashes and cross-border security negotiations reflects a growing divide within Mexico’s political establishment on how best to confront the ongoing cartel crisis.