Mexican Leader Sheinbaum Denies Reports of US Military Intervention in Mexico
Mexico's head of state Claudia Sheinbaum has firmly rejected reports that the United States is considering to deploy troops into Mexico to confront dominant drug trafficking organizations, emphasizing that she has repeatedly refused such offers from Donald Trump.
“It’s not going to happen,” the President declared during her regular press briefing on Tuesday. “We do not agree to any form of interventionism or interventionism.”
Context on the Allegations
Sheinbaum's comments come after a report citing present and past American authorities that the US government has started planning for a mission to send US troops and agents into Mexico.
This information suggested that although the mission was not imminent and a conclusive choice had been reached, the early stages of preparation had commenced along with talks about the scope of the deployment.
Additionally, the account mentioned that American forces would function under the jurisdiction of the American spy agencies, and that officers from the Central Intelligence Agency would take part as well.
The Nation's Reaction
But Sheinbaum was adamant that her nation had “no information” about such a planned incursion, although she acknowledged that in phone calls with the US president, he had proposed to send military support and other assistance to confront criminal groups.
“I have repeatedly stated thank you very much, Mr. Trump. But absolutely not, our country is a free, independent and sovereign nation,” Sheinbaum declared.
Past Cooperation and Current Strains
The two nations have historically worked together in tackling drug-trafficking groups, with the US at times dispatching intelligence, military and Drug Enforcement Administration operatives to assist the country's efforts to fight criminal networks.
But the incursion of American military into Mexico to directly confront the drug lords, particularly without the nation's consent, would be an unheard-of move that would likely damage an already tenuous partnership between the two countries.
Recent Actions and Understandings
The US government has made confronting drug-trafficking groups a central pillar of its international strategy: in last winter, Washington classified multiple drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
Additionally, it has launched a multiple strikes against suspected narco vessels, including striking vessels in the Pacific Ocean that resulted in the deaths of 14 alleged traffickers in recent weeks.
While authorities saved a survivor from the strike, Sheinbaum criticized the actions and instructed representatives from her administration to address them with the American envoy to the nation.
On that day, she also noted that the country had finalized a security agreement with the United States that was discussed over several months.
“We are going to continue working within this cooperative structure, which has defined guidelines … which honors our sovereignty and our territoriality.”
Sheinbaum's Position on Security Approach
The Mexican president has also seemed cooler on militarised anti-narcotics tactics than her predecessors: on Monday, she ruled out any modifications to the country’s security strategy despite the recent brutal killing of a local official in western Mexico.
“Some are calling for military action and armed conflict, as happened with the anti-drug campaign,” she commented. “It proved ineffective.”