The U.S. military will not enter Mexico, the country’s president has said, after it was reported Donald Trump had authorized such a move to tackle Latin American drug cartels.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that her country would cooperate with the U.S. “but there will be no invasion.”
Her comments follow a report in The New York Times that the U.S. president had secretly signed a directive to begin using military force on foreign soil.
Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment.
Why It Matters
The Trump administration has pledged to crack down on drug trafficking, targeting Latin American gangs, which it has declared foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs).
In recent months, Mexico has worked with the U.S. to curb the illegal flow of both migrants and drugs through the countries’ border but the U.S using the military to target the groups would mark a significant escalation in enforcement.
Sheinbaum’s comments set down a red line over the reported but unconfirmed Trump policy at a tricky diplomatic time as the U.S. leader imposes tariffs on trading partners.
What To Know
The New York Times, citing sources close to the matter,reported that Trump had directed the Pentagon for military operations at sea and on foreign soil to target cartels.
This reported directive, which has not been confirmed, appears to follow an executive order Trump had earlier signed designating eight drug cartels as terrorist entities, six of which are Mexican.
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico said in a statement Friday both countries would use “every tool at our disposal to protect our peoples” from drug trafficking groups without giving further details.
But Sheinbaum told reporters that the U.S. “is not going to come to Mexico with their military,” which would be “absolutely off the table.”
Brandan Buck, Cato Institute foreign policy research fellow, previously told Newsweek that such a unilateral action by the U.S. “would assuredly fail to stem the flow of drugs into the United States while causing significant diplomatic fallout.”
In May, Sheinbaum had said she had rejected Trump’s offer of direct U.S. military assistance, saying that “our territory is inalienable.”
U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson said on X that fentanyl seizures at the border were down and noted the collaboration between Sheinbaum and Trump.
What People Are Saying
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum: “There will be no invasion—that is rejected, absolutely rejected…the United States is not going to come to Mexico with troops.”
U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson in a statement Friday: “We are united. We will use all the tools at our disposal to protect our peoples, working collaboratively, as two sovereign allies.”
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly in a statement to Newsweek on Friday said that Trump’s “top priority is protecting the homeland, which is why he took the bold step to designate several cartels and gangs as foreign terrorist organizations.”
What Happens Next
The White House has not yet addressed the reported directive.
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