Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum plans to attend Sunday's World Cup final at President Donald Trump's invitation, bringing the two leaders together as their governments remain locked in a diplomatic dispute over the deaths of Mexican nationals during U.S. immigration enforcement operations.
The visit comes as tensions between the two governments have intensified following the fatal shooting of a Mexican national by federal agents during an immigration enforcement operation in Houston and Mexico's broader concerns about the treatment of its citizens in U.S. custody. The State Department returned cease-and-desist letters Mexico sent to U.S. immigration detention facilities, calling for an end to actions or omissions Mexico says contributed to those deaths, including delayed medical care and policies it argues are inconsistent with accepted medical and detention standards.
Sheinbaum skipped the tournament's June 11 opening match at Mexico City's Azteca Stadium and did not attend Mexico's games, despite Mexico co-hosting the World Cup with the United States and Canada. She gave her opening-match ticket to an Indigenous fan and had previously said she would not attend any matches.
She reversed course after Trump invited her to the final between Argentina and Spain in New Jersey.
"I decided to go because it is a direct invitation from the president of the United States," Sheinbaum said.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is also expected to attend.
Michael Kozak, the State Department's senior official for Western Hemisphere affairs, returned the letters, saying they "purport to direct the actions of U.S. government personnel operating in U.S. sovereign territory."
The department said Mexico should instead raise its concerns through diplomatic channels. Mexico responded that it had already done so, including in meetings with the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Mexico says 17 of its nationals have died since Trump returned to office: 14 in ICE custody and three during immigration enforcement operations, including the fatal shooting in Houston. The government has filed complaints with the Justice Department and state prosecutors, considered civil claims against detention operators and asked the U.N. human rights office to review the cases.
Her attendance underscores the complicated relationship between the two governments, which continue to cooperate on issues including trade, security and the World Cup while remaining deeply divided over immigration enforcement and the treatment of Mexican nationals in U.S. custody.
