By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Mexico says US President Donald Trump’s proposal to send American troops into its territory to assist in combating drug trafficking is not welcomed, insisting that Mexican sovereignty “is not for sale.”
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, while speaking at a university event near Mexico City on Saturday, responded to a Wall Street Journal report that detailed Trump’s push for greater US military involvement in Mexico’s fight against powerful drug cartels.
The WSJ publication of 2 May claimed that Trump was pressuring Mexico to allow deeper US intervention to curtail the trafficking of drugs, especially fentanyl, across the shared border.
“In one of the calls, (Trump) said, ‘How can we help you fight drug trafficking? I propose that the US Army come in to help you,’” Sheinbaum recounted. “And you know what I told him? No, President Trump. The territory is sacrosanct, sovereignty is sacrosanct. Sovereignty is not for sale, sovereignty is loved and defended.”
While acknowledging that Mexico and the United States can and do collaborate on matters of security, Sheinbaum drew a firm line on the presence of foreign troops. “We will never accept the presence of the United States military in our territory,” she said.
“Mexico must do more to combat these gangs and cartels,” a spokesperson for the US National Security Council (NSC), who did not confirm the troop proposal directly, was quoted as saying while reiterating Trump’s position.
The NSC said Trump had worked closely with Sheinbaum to achieve “the most secure southwest border in history” and maintained that dangerous criminal networks continue to pose a threat to both nations.
Trump had previously stated publicly that he would consider unilateral US military action if Mexico failed to dismantle drug cartels, a position that has attracted international criticism.
The US had earlier this year designated the Sinaloa Cartel and other Mexican drug groups as foreign terrorist organisations, an act some analysts believe was a pretext for US military deployment.
Tensions between the two leaders reportedly intensified during an April 16 phone call, where Trump again pressed for US forces to take a leading role in confronting the cartels.
Also discussed in the telephone conversation were trade and immigration.
Sheinbaum said she countered by asking Trump to focus instead on stemming the flow of firearms from the United States into Mexico, an issue she says fuels violence and empowers criminal groups.
“We can collaborate, we can work together, but you can do it in your territory, we can do it in ours,” she emphasised.
