MEXICO CITY: Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum revealed on Saturday that she turned down a proposal from US President Donald Trump to send American troops into Mexico to combat drug cartels.
Speaking at a public event, Sheinbaum said Trump made the offer during a recent phone call, but she firmly rejected it, stressing the importance of national sovereignty.
“I told him, ‘No, President Trump, our territory is inviolable, our sovereignty is not for sale,’” Sheinbaum said, reaffirming Mexico’s stance against foreign military presence within its borders.
Her remarks followed a Wall Street Journal report claiming that tensions escalated during the leaders’ April 16 call, when Trump pushed for greater US military involvement in Mexico’s fight against organized crime. According to sources cited by the newspaper, Trump was seeking a more active US role in battling fentanyl-producing drug gangs.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has frequently criticized both Mexico and Canada for their roles in the flow of illegal drugs into the US. His administration has also tied this issue to economic penalties, such as proposed tariffs on imports from both countries.
During the call, Sheinbaum said she offered increased cooperation with the US through enhanced intelligence sharing. However, she also called on Trump to take stronger action to curb the flow of firearms from the US into Mexico—an issue she linked to widespread violence that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives in recent years.
Sheinbaum added that Trump, on Friday, issued an order aimed at tightening US efforts to prevent weapons smuggling across the southern border.
A spokesperson for the US National Security Council told Reuters that Trump had been clear about expecting Mexico to intensify its anti-cartel efforts. The spokesperson also emphasized the administration’s commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation and securing the US-Mexico border.
Despite the diplomatic efforts, Trump has continued advancing his tough immigration agenda, including plans for what he describes as the largest deportation operation in American history. His administration recently designated a second border region—this one in Texas near the Fort Bliss Army base—as a military zone where troops are authorized to detain undocumented migrants until they are handed over to immigration authorities.
