MEXICO CITY — President Claudia Sheinbaum designated Roberto Velasco as Mexico's foreign minister on April 1, 2026, the president's office announced. The appointment came after Juan Ramón de la Fuente, who had held the post since October 2024, requested to step down for health reasons.

Velasco, a 38-year-old lawyer with a master's degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago, had been serving as the foreign ministry's subsecretary for North America prior to his designation. Over the course of six years, he worked in Mexico's foreign relations with the United States and Canada, serving first as general director for North America before being elevated to the subsecretary position. During that time, Velasco led bilateral and trilateral negotiations on issues including security, migration, economic matters, border management and shared water resources between the three North American nations.

Earlier in his career, Velasco served as spokesperson for Marcelo Ebrard when Ebrard was Mexico's foreign minister during the first part of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's administration.

In January 2025, after Donald Trump returned to the U.S. presidency, Velasco became de la Fuente's primary assistant in managing bilateral relations between Mexico and the United States. Later that year, he served as acting foreign minister for a few weeks after de la Fuente underwent surgery, taking on direct responsibility for the ministry's day-to-day operations.

Velasco's appointment must be ratified by the Senate. Once confirmed, he will lead Mexican diplomacy during negotiations to revise the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Free Trade Agreement.

De la Fuente, a 74-year-old psychiatrist, accompanied Sheinbaum throughout her administration's transition period. During his tenure as foreign minister, he received envoys from U.S. President Joe Biden. In January 2025, de la Fuente participated in negotiations with the Trump administration and prepared the U.S. consular network for the deportations announced by Trump.

Arturo Sarukhan, Mexico's former ambassador to the U.S., said, "The reshuffle in the foreign ministry was long overdue."