🔗 Share this article

The nation's President Claudia Sheinbaum has categorically rejected allegations that the US government is considering to deploy troops into Mexico to combat dominant drug trafficking organizations, emphasizing that she has repeatedly declined such proposals from Donald Trump.

“It’s not going to happen,” the President declared during her daily morning press briefing on Tuesday. “We are opposed to any form of interventionism or external interference.”

Background on the Allegations

The President's remarks follow a news story quoting present and past American authorities that the Trump administration has initiated preparations for a mission to send American military personnel and intelligence officers into the neighboring nation.

The report suggested that although the mission was not immediate and a conclusive choice had been reached, the early stages of training had commenced along with talks about the extent of the deployment.

Additionally, the report stated that American forces would function under the authority of the American spy agencies, and that officers from the CIA would also participate.

Mexico's Response

But Sheinbaum was adamant that her country had “lack of details” about such a proposed incursion, although she admitted that in conversations with Trump, he had proposed to send military support and additional resources to confront organized crime.

“I’ve always said thank you very much, President Trump. But no, Mexico is a free, independent and sovereign nation,” the President declared.

Past Cooperation and Present Strains

Mexico and the US have long collaborated in tackling cartels, with the United States at times sending CIA, armed forces and DEA agents to assist the country's initiatives to combat organized crime.

But the incursion of US troops into the territory to directly confront the drug lords, particularly without Mexico's consent, would be an unheard-of step that would likely damage an already tenuous bilateral relationship.

Recent Measures and Understandings

The US government has designated confronting criminal organizations a central pillar of its foreign policy: in last winter, Washington classified six Mexican cartels as terrorist groups.

It has also initiated a series of attacks against alleged drug-trafficking boats, including striking ships in the Pacific Ocean that killed multiple suspects in recent weeks.

While Mexico saved a survivor from the strike, the President condemned the strikes and instructed representatives from her administration to discuss them with the American envoy to the nation.

On Tuesday, she also noted that Mexico had reached a security agreement with the US that was negotiated over several months.

“We will proceed within this framework of understanding, which has defined guidelines … which honors our sovereignty and our territorial integrity.”

The President's Position on Security Strategy

The Mexican president has also appeared less enthusiastic on military-focused anti-narcotics tactics than her preceding leaders: on Monday, she dismissed any changes to the nation's safety approach despite the recent brutal killing of a mayor in a Mexican state.

“Some are calling for militarization and armed conflict, as occurred with the war on drugs,” Sheinbaum commented. “That didn’t work.”