Seventeen relatives of El Chapo were recently allowed to enter the U.S. in San Diego. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the move by the Trump administration a 'total disgrace.'

According to crime journalist Luis Chaparro, the family members' decision to turn themselves in was likely linked to the plea agreement El Chapo's son is negotiating with U.S. authorities.

Several family members of Mexican drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán have entered the United States as part of a negotiation in a case against one of his sons.

Mexican news reports suggest the U.S. recently orchestrated the secret, cross-border move of at least 17 relatives of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán to California.

El Chapo fronted the group for several years - during which the 68-year-old is believed to have caused the deaths of over 34,000 people. This led to him being considered the most powerful drug trafficker in the world by federal organisations.

At least 17 relatives of Mexican drug lord El Chapo are alleged to have crossed the border into the United States as part of a plea deal with one of his sons over drug trafficking charges

Among the group of people who allegedly crossed on foot on May 9 through the San Ysidro port of entry in Tijuana is Griselda Guadalupe López Pérez, El Chapo’s ex-wife and one of the main operators of

Oscar Hagelsieb, former head of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, said U.S. authorities might have offered protection "not only to the sons of El Chapo—they offered it to a lot of people.