CPAC Mexico 2024: Interview with Carlos Leal, a Tireless Defender of Life

Carlos Leal Segovia is a Mexican politician known for his unwavering pro-life and pro-family stance. He served as a local representative in the Congress of Nuevo León, representing the Solidarity Encounter Party (PES). During his time in office, Leal pushed for significant reforms to protect the family and oppose abortion. He also advocated for the «Parental Pin,» a proposal allowing parents to decide whether their children could receive education on sexual matters, which was arbitrarily and unjustly ruled unconstitutional by the court.

Our editor-in-chief at Gateway Hispanic, María Herrera, had the opportunity to speak with him on August 24 at CPAC held in Mexico City this 2024. Here is part of the interview:

María Herrera: Well, we are here at CPAC Mexico 2024. It’s an honor to be here with my friend, former Congressman Carlos Leal, former representative of Nuevo León, now independent. How have you been, Carlos?

Carlos Leal: Thank you María for the invitation, and here we are, at your service once again at CPAC.

María Herrera: It’s been two years, hasn’t it, since we last met in Monterrey? What has happened in Mexico during these two years? From the U.S., we know that, well, the left has once again swept the Mexican elections. What does the future hold for Mexico now that Claudia Sheinbaum is set to take power?

Carlos Leal: Unfortunately, due to a lack of strong opposition and a good opposition candidate, the left has once again taken control in Mexico. We view this with dismay, fear, and unease as the left is now poised not only to control the Executive Branch but also the Judicial Branch and they already have the Legislative Branch with a qualified majority. Yes, the judicial, exactly. So, they hold a qualified majority in Congress. Fortunately, they didn’t quite secure a qualified majority in the Senate. They are short by a few senators. Don’t be surprised if they try to buy some when the new legislature starts, but yes, we are looking at a complicated situation. It’s a very strong left, one that could possibly be the spearhead of the left in Latin America because we are seeing changes in other places like Argentina, where Milley is now in the picture. We see Bolsonaro continuing to gain strength in Brazil. So, we’re witnessing a shift in South America, but in Mexico, unfortunately, the left remains in power.

María Herrera: Carlos, what do you think, as a man, about the prospect of the next U.S. administration being led by Kamala Harris, an extremist woman who persecutes journalists exposing violations of, let’s say, the right to life? A woman who has allowed the invasion—yes, invasion—of the U.S. I’m Hispanic, I’m an immigration lawyer, but we’re talking about a 7,000% increase in Chinese immigrants to the U.S. without any control, and more than 10 million people have been intercepted. A woman who was in charge of the border, a woman who defends socialist, even communist, policies for the American community. And then, a woman like Claudia Sheinbaum. As a man and former politician, what do you think of this duo, and what could it mean for Mexican families?

Carlos Leal: It would be regrettable if it happens. Fortunately, we believe Trump is making good progress, but we hope it doesn’t happen. If it does, it would be a failure for both countries. Kamala’s public policy promotes death, not only in terms of war but also regarding life, promoting a Democratic bill in Congress for a truck outside Planned Parenthood with over 25 children killed before being born. So yes, it’s very unfortunate, all the public policy Kamala supports. And we see that Claudia Sheinbaum’s public policy is very similar. They promote death, gender ideology, socialism, and communism. That’s where we must be cautious. That’s why Morena, which supports Claudia Sheinbaum, now wants to control the judiciary. They already control the legislative branch. They are going all in to have absolute power, just like the PRI at its inception. Exactly. We’ve returned to the old PRI of the early days.

María Herrera: Carlos, in the U.S., as an immigration and investment attorney, I see a massive exodus of Mexican entrepreneurs fearing Claudia Sheinbaum’s policies, fearing the potential stripping of property rights or even the destruction of Mexican businessmen’s wealth. You live in Monterrey, one of the wealthiest cities in this country. How do you see it? How does the average entrepreneur in Mexico feel about the arrival of someone like Claudia Sheinbaum, whom I would call a radical Marxist?

Carlos Leal: Well, you should ask Elon Musk why he halted Tesla’s factory in Nuevo León. He stopped it. He mentioned there weren’t the right conditions due to the U.S. elections, but we believe the real issue is the lack of favorable conditions in Mexico. Every entrepreneur needs to be sure about political stability to make sound investments. In this case, I believe Elon Musk does not view Claudia Sheinbaum’s public policies favorably, and that’s why he suspended the investment in Nuevo León, which is very unfortunate because it was a very important investment. It affects not only the jobs and community in Monterrey but also companies that had already set up operations in anticipation of Tesla’s arrival.

María Herrera: I have a very particular question. A couple of days ago, the U.S. Inspector General’s office reported the possible loss of location for over 320,000 immigrant children, 70% of whom are Guatemalans. You’re neighbors with Guatemala. These children have to pass through here. What is this administration and Morena doing to supposedly protect the rights of minors who are victims of sexual trafficking?

Carlos Leal: They are turning a blind eye. We are definitely living in a narco-state that has ignored the need to protect the southern border. All these children pass through the southern border, which is wide open. This clearly points to collusion between organized crime and the government. That’s where we need to focus our attention, on the southern border. Donald Trump is right. We need the military at the southern border to stop all organized crime because organized crime is not just about drugs. It also involves child trafficking, arms trafficking, and more. That’s what we need to stop at the southern border. The leftist government, led by Andrés Manuel and soon by Claudia Sheinbaum, has done nothing. We hope that when Trump comes back to power, he will put pressure on stopping this child trafficking happening at the southern border.

María Herrera: Last question, Carlos. You mentioned a bill that was recently struck down. Can you tell us more?

Carlos Leal: In 2020, when I was a legislator, we promoted a bill, a reform to the education law in the State of Nuevo León, where we raised awareness among children about the protection of life from conception to natural death. This is not a religious issue. Medical science has shown that life begins at conception, and of course, we all support the idea that when a person dies, it should be naturally, at the end of their days. The Supreme Court said that reforming the law to state that life begins at conception was a religious issue, and they struck it down. They rendered the law invalid and are asking the State Congress of Nuevo León to remove that paragraph. This leaves us at a crossroads because while the left seeks to dismantle and take control of the judiciary, the judiciary doesn’t help us either because they too are progressive. So, we are uncertain how to position ourselves in this situation.

María Herrera: Right, it’s like there is no separation of powers, which is exactly what we’re seeing in the U.S. with this extremely progressive administration, even the politicization of justice under Biden’s administration. Carlos, it has been a pleasure having you here.

Carlos Leal: Thank you very much, María, for the invitation, and I’m at your service for anything else. Thank you.