Sheinbaum commits federal help to Guadalajara water crisis, presses Jalisco on protest crackdown: Monday’s mañanera recapped

• 🚔 Sheinbaum says Jalisco must explain use of force against Guadalajara water protesters: Asked about Sunday’s clashes outside Casa Jalisco, the governor’s residence, Sheinbaum said Governor Pablo Lemus and state authorities must explain why they used tear gas and water cannons, and provide information on those detained. “We don’t agree with repression,” she said, adding that the government also rejects violence at protests. The Jalisco government said 39 people were arrested after a group of around 400 people “unconnected to the protest” attacked police and attendees, leaving 28 officers and 31 other people injured. Media reports said protesters drew up a list of at least 23 people detained or missing.
• 💧 Federal government pledges to help Jalisco resolve Guadalajara water contamination, opposes privatization of water service: Sheinbaum said Lemus has proposed “a series of solutions” and that members of his team would meet with National Water Commission (Conagua) officials on Monday to agree on immediate actions and infrastructure projects. She said the government doesn’t support the privatization of the water service in Guadalajara.

Why today’s mañanera matters

At her Monday morning press conference, President Sheinbaum was asked about Jalisco authorities’ use of force at a large protest in Guadalajara on Sunday during which thousands of people demanded a solution to the long-running water contamination problem in the city. She was also asked about the arrest of dozens of people during the protest.

According to media reports, police used water cannons and tear gas against protesters who gathered outside Casa Jalisco, the official residence of Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus.

La Mega Marcha por Agua Limpia frente a Casa Jalisco, en Guadalajara reunió unas 9 mil personas. La protesta fue recibida, exeso de policía, con vallas y se reprimió a las personas con chorros de agua a presión y gas lacrimógeno. 52 personas fueron detenidas.
📸 @Somoselmedio https://t.co/ZNZjb99OFN

— Voices in Movement (@VIM_Media) October 12, 2026

“In response to the clashes that began to break out in the vicinity of the building, a riot control team pushed back the protesters using tear gas and high-pressure water cannons,” the newspaper La Jornada reported.

“This situation heightened tensions between the [protest] attendees and law enforcement, as children and elderly people were among those affected,” La Jornada wrote, adding that reports circulated on social media alleging the “kidnapping” of at least 20 people inside the Casa Jalisco precinct.

Sheinbaum said that it is up to authorities in Jalisco to explain what happened in Guadalajara on Sunday.

Also of note at today’s mañanera was the president’s pledge to work with Jalisco authorities to resolve the water contamination problem in the greater Guadalajara area.

Mexico News Daily reported last week that poor water quality affects at least 342 metropolitan neighborhoods. Solving the water contamination problem and addressing service outages will require infrastructure investment of more than US $1 billion, according to an announcement by Jalisco officials earlier this year.

“The high cost reflects the need to replace and expand significant parts of the city’s hydraulic system operated by the Inter-municipal System of Drinking Water and Sewerage Services, as much of it is obsolete following decades of use and chronic underinvestment,” MND reported on July 9.

Sheinbaum says Jalisco authorities must explain why they used force against protesters in Guadalajara 

A reporter read out the names of around 50 people that he said were “suppressed, arrested, held and even kidnapped” by police while protesting against water contamination in Guadalajara on Sunday.

According to a report by the Guadalajara-based newspaper El Informador, “what began as a peaceful protest to demand better water quality in the city ended in violent events that left various people injured.”

“… After more than three hours of clashes between protesters and anti-riot police, people who were protesting drew up a list of at least 23 people believed to have been detained or who were missing,” the newspaper reported.

For its part, the Jalisco government said in a statement that a group of around 400 people “unconnected to the protest” resorted to violence, attacking police officers and “attendees.” It said that 28 police officers were injured, two seriously, while 31 other people required medical attention. The Jalisco government said that 39 people were arrested, adding that their “legal situation” would be determined by the state Attorney General’s Office.

The aforesaid reporter asked the president how the Mexican government could “guarantee” that people who went missing (or were detained) during Sunday’s protest would return to their homes “safe and sound.”

“The governor of Jalisco has to provide information about this issue because it was a decision they made,” Sheinbaum responded, referring to Pablo Lemus and authorities’ use of force.

“The authorities of Jalisco have to say why they made this decision, and provide information on the people detained,” she said.

“… We don’t agree with repression,” Sheinbaum added.

“… We also disagree with the use of violence in protests. We believe and we have always believed in peaceful protests,” she said.

“… In this particular case, the governor of Jalisco has to explain — it’s their responsibility to explain why they used water [cannons] and tear gas, if they used them, to confront a protest,” Sheinbaum said.

Sheinbaum: Conagua officials will meet with Jalisco authorities to discuss water contamination in Guadalajara 

Sheinbaum acknowledged the water contamination problem in Guadalajara, and told reporters that Governor Lemus has been proposing “a series of solutions.”

She said she had told Lemus that the federal government was ready to do all it could to help resolve the contamination problem.

MND Local: Sheinbaum and Lemus tackle water crisis amid power outages in Guadalajara

Sheinbaum said that members of the governor’s “team” would meet on Monday with officials from the National Water Commission (Conagua) to discuss a plan to address the problem.

“We just don’t agree with supporting the privatization of water service,” she said.

However, the federal government is committed to working with Jalisco authorities to resolve the contamination problem “with common resources,” Sheinbaum said.

“It is a problem and we have to address it,” she said.

Sheinbaum said that Conagua and the Jalisco government will come to an agreement on the “immediate actions” and infrastructure projects that are required to address the problem.

Asked whether she has expressed to Lemus the federal government’s opposition to water service privatization in Jalisco, Sheinbaum responded:

“There are financing schemes that could lead to the private operation of water. So this is what we have to discuss with [Lemus], these financing schemes. And we’re going to seek a solution because we have to find a solution for the residents of the metropolitan area of Guadalajara.”