Claudia Sheinbaum. Reuters/Carlo Allegri/Raquel Cunha.
Dear Commons Community,
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum revealed yesterday that she had rejected President Donald Trump‘s offer of troops to help combat drug trafficking in Mexico, saying, “Sovereignty is not for sale.”
Responding to a Friday report from The Wall Street Journal that Trump was pressuring Mexico to allow for further U.S. involvement in combating drug cartels, Sheinbaum described a tense phone call shared with her northern counterpart last month.
“He said, ‘How can we help you fight drug trafficking? I propose that the United States military come in and help you.’ And you know what I said to him? ‘No, President Trump,’” Sheinbaum told supporters gathered in eastern Mexico.
She continued, “Sovereignty is not for sale. Sovereignty is loved and defended.”
According to the WSJ report, the 45-minute phone call, which took place on April 16, saw Trump push for the U.S. to not just send troops into Mexico but to take a leading role in the fight against the country’s drug cartels. Sheinbaum responded that while her administration would cooperate when it came to intelligence-sharing, it would not accept a direct military presence.
In a presidential memorandum published last month, Trump laid out a plan to have the Department of Defense claim jurisdiction over a strip of public land along the border, known as the Roosevelt Reservation, in order to enable further military activities like border wall construction and the placement of detection equipment.
While Sheinbaum has cooperated with Trump on matters of immigration and trade—Trump agreed to a pause on his tariffs in exchange for Mexico reinforcing their side of the border with 10,000 members of Mexico’s National Guard back in February—she is now making it clear that U.S. military presence in Mexico is where she draws the line. “We can work together, but you in your territory and us in ours,“ said Sheinbaum.
“We will never accept the presence of the United States military in our territory,” she declared.
Standup for what is best for Mexico, President Sheinbaum!
Tony
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