President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico denied that the United States would use its military in Mexico on Friday, responding to news that President Trump had directed the Pentagon to target drug cartels that the United States considers terrorist organizations.
“The United States is not going to come to Mexico with the military. We cooperate, we collaborate, but there is not going to be an invasion. That is ruled out, absolutely ruled out,” she said. “It is not part of any agreement, far from it. When it has been brought up, we have always said no.”
It remains unclear what plans the Pentagon is drawing up for possible action, and the order raises legal questions about several issues. But Mexican officials have in public and in private flatly rejected suggestions of U.S. military action against drug cartels on Mexican territory.
If the Pentagon plans to deploy troops to Mexico, it could strain ties to their worst point in decades, according to a Mexican official and two people familiar with the government’s thinking. Mexico could pull back its cooperation with the United States on issues like security and migration if the White House acts unilaterally, they said.
“They need Mexico’s cooperation and they need Mexico’s state and society to be functioning. This isn’t Afghanistan, where the state is broken, and you can do whatever you want as there’s a void,” said Arturo Rocha, who resigned late last year from the Mexican foreign ministry, where he handled relations with the United States.
“This has always been Mexico’s deepest fear, this constant sense that we could be invaded by the U.S. again,” he added. “It would have major implications in terms of cooperation with the U.S. going forward. The president has been clear that our sovereignty is a redline.”
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The post Mexico’s President Denies U.S. Will Use Military in Her Country appeared first on New York Times.
