The United States imposed sanctions on Raymundo Ramos, president of the Committee for Human Rights of Nuevo Laredo, accusing him of working for the Cartel of the Northeast. The U.S. Treasury Department claims Ramos fabricated human rights accusations against Mexican forces to protect cartel members. The measures block any U.S. assets he holds and prohibit Americans from dealing with him.
The U.S. Treasury Department announced the sanctions on Tuesday, alleging that Ramos had posed as a human rights activist for more than a decade. Officials stated that Ramos, on the payroll of the Cartel of the Northeast (CDN), aimed to discredit Mexican authorities' efforts against the cartel by making false claims against the army. The Treasury said Ramos sought to improve the cartel's public image while shielding its members from law enforcement in Nuevo Laredo, a violent border city in Tamaulipas state abutting the United States. Ramos did not respond to requests for comment on the accusations. The activist has previously highlighted alleged abuses by Mexican forces, including extrajudicial killings by the Armed Forces in 2023 and forced disappearances by the Navy in 2022. Mexican authorities responded to those claims by detaining military officials and launching investigations, though it remains unclear if any resulted in charges or convictions. The Mexican attorney general's office offered no comment on the U.S. allegations or any related probe. In 2020, Ramos was among those targeted by the Mexican government's Pegasus spyware, according to Mexico’s Digital Rights Defense Network and Citizen Lab.
