Peru’s Congress on Thursday voted to declare Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum a persona non grata after her government granted asylum to a former Peruvian prime minister who is facing trial for allegedly aiding a 2022 coup attempt.
The two Latin American nations have long had strained diplomatic relations, but tensions escalated sharply on Monday when Mexico granted asylum to former Prime Minister Betssy Chávez, prompting Lima to break off formal ties with Mexico.
Chávez served as prime minister in December 2022, when former President Pedro Castillo was ousted after attempting to dissolve Congress amid a prolonged standoff with lawmakers.
The resolution against Sheinbaum was passed by a 63–33 vote in Peru’s unicameral Congress, which recently also removed Castillo’s unpopular successor, Dina Boluarte.
Right-wing acting Congress president Fernando Rospigliosi said it had been “clearly established” that Sheinbaum interfered in Peru’s internal affairs “not only in words” but also through the decision to grant Chávez asylum.
However, socialist lawmaker Jaime Quito condemned the move, saying: “Once again, they are making an international embarrassment by breaking relations with our sister country, Mexico.”
Following the diplomatic fallout, Interim President Jose Jeri, announced on Monday night that Mexico’s top diplomat in Lima had been given a “strict deadline to leave” the country.
Relations between Peru and Mexico deteriorated sharply after the ouster of Castillo, a former rural schoolteacher and trade union leader often described as Peru’s “first poor president.”
In December 2022, Castillo was en route the Mexican embassy in Lima to request asylum with his family when he was arrested and later charged with rebellion and abuse of authority. Chávez was charged alongside him, and both went on trial in March 2025.
While Castillo has remained in preventive custody since his impeachment, Chávez was released on bail and later sought refuge at the Mexican ambassador’s residence. Peru’s Foreign Ministry is currently assessing a request for safe passage that would allow her to leave for Mexico.
Prosecutors have sought a 25-year prison term for Chávez for allegedly participating in Castillo’s failed coup plot, while Castillo faces a possible 34-year sentence if convicted.
