President hits back at reports that Washington could strike drug cartels in its southern neighbour
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President Claudia Sheinbaum on Monday rejected the prospect of US military intervention in her country, insisting Mexico’s independence was “not at risk”.
Her comments came after reports last week that President Donald Trump had signed a secret directive ordering the US military to target Latin American cartels, including several that send drugs across the border from Mexico.
“We will never put our sovereignty at risk, we will never put Mexico’s independence at risk, Mexico is a free, sovereign, independent country,” she said.
The prospect of Washington taking military intervention against the cartels has hung over the bilateral relationship after Trump declared eight of them terrorist organisations in his first weeks in office.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio last week said: “We cannot continue to just treat these guys as local street gangs. They have weaponry that looks like what terrorists, in some cases armies, have.”
“It allows us to now target what they’re operating and to use other elements of American power, intelligence agencies, the Department of Defense.”
The US and Mexico have been engaged in tense negotiations over trade, security and migration since Trump took office. Sheinbaum’s government has obtained better trade terms than most countries, with the vast majority of its exports passing tariff free under the US, Mexico, Canada trade deal, USMCA.
However, Washington’s pressure over drug cartels and military involvement has escalated in recent months, with Trump saying Sheinbaum was “a lovely woman but is so afraid of the cartels that she can’t even think straight”.
Earlier this year Mexicos’s president rejected Trump’s offer for US military assistance in tackling the groups, and her stance in the face of Washington’s threats has pushed her approval ratings to above 70 per cent.
However, her comments were focused on an intervention by soldiers on the ground, while Mexican security analysts are more concerned about the possibility of drone strikes.
However, her comments were focused on an intervention by soldiers on the ground, while Mexican security analysts are more concerned about the possibility of drone strikes.
