Former Tamaulipas Governor Cabeza De Vaca Fled to the US Before His Arrest Warrant was Issued

 “Socalj” for Borderland Beat

The Former Governor is believed to has ended his term two days early and fled to the United States where he has citizenship.

According to information from Federal Government officials, former Governor Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca left the country and has not returned. This Wednesday, the National Institute of Migration (INM) issued a migration alert against Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca to verify any exit or entry from the country of the former governor of Tamaulipas. However, this process would have come too late.

According to information shared by the journalist Ciro Gómez Leyva, federal sources assured that the former official of the National Action Party (PAN) left the country on September 28, traveling into Texas. This, apparently, due to the process that the Attorney General of the Republic (FGR) would initiate against him for his alleged participation in criminal acts linked to organized crime.

Since the beginning of 2021, Cabeza de Vaca was already in the sights of the FGR , since at that time the institution issued an arrest warrant for the crimes of organized crime and operation with resources of illicit origin. Similarly, orders were obtained to capture six people who would have participated with the current former governor in an alleged money laundering network.

The former PAN official concluded his governorship in Tamaulipas on September 30. From that day on, he lost his protection as a public servant, which exempted him from any criminal action against him. However, according to the report released by Gómez Leyva, Cabeza de Vaca had not even completed the term of office in Mexico having fled the country two days prior, despite what was published on his social networks.

On October 1, new Governor Americo Villarreal, who was recently accused of corruption and links to the Cartel del Noreste and a pair of missing Marines was sworn in. Suspicions began to arise when the PAN party former governor did not attend the swearing in of Américo Villarreal as the new governor of the state on October 1. The new Governor has stated that the arrest warrant against the former governor is not political persecution.

The justification for his absence was that he had not been invited to the event, as he reported two days later. “I publish this tweet to avoid speculation. I did not attend the inauguration of the New Governor because I was not summoned , ”he wrote on his Twitter account on the morning of October 3. “I said last week that I would take a few days off with my family and I am doing so and I will continue to attend to my ranch here in Tamaulipas,” he added in response to that same publication.

It is pertinent to mention that Cabeza de Vaca would not have had any problem crossing the border with the United States, since according to information revealed in 2019, the former governor is a United States citizen having been born in McAllen, Texas, and he has dual citizenship.

On October 4, 2022, an arrest warrant was issued by the FGR for former Governor Cabeza de Vaca for criminal association with probable involvement in criminal acts of organized crime. The request of the FGR includes accusations of money laundering and tax fraud. The registry is with folio 452123 in the Control List of the Integral System of Migratory Operation.

An immigration alert was sent out for the whereabouts of the former Governor, he crossed into the US via Texas, where he was born.

FGR has already requested the support of INTERPOL (International Criminal Police Organization) to issue a red card against the former governor.

This type of alert is used for fugitives who are wanted for prosecution or to serve time. INTERPOL's red card contemplates a request to security forces around the world to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action.

The last activity recorded on the social networks of Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca was a publication made on October 5, after the arrest warrant against him was released.

“I found out from a SEGOB statement of an alleged arrest warrant and immigration alert against me. I am not surprised by this new broadside in political persecution. The Government needs distractors. My defense will provide the pertinent information. Enough of persecuting opponents” , wrote the former official.

Francisco Javier García Cabeza de Vaca had already been accused by the FGR during his term, but after 15 months, the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) invalidated the arrest warrant issued on May 18, 2021. Even the Chamber of Deputies approved to remove it from law and everything remained in the hands of the Congress of Tamaulipas so that the then governor could face the process without constitutional jurisdiction.

However, the local legislature did not agree to approve the federal determination and a review appeal was filed before the highest court in the country, an instance that finally set a precedent so that the autonomy of the states would not be violated. The decision of the SCJN was on August 17, almost a month and a half before the end of his term.

The entire process against the Tamaulipas Governor stemmed from a complaint from the Financial Intelligence Unit regarding the purchase-sale of a luxurious apartment with possible acts of money laundering. That led to accusations for the crime of tax fraud in the amount of 6.5 million pesos .

Sources Infobae, Infobae, Milenio