Trump Blasts Mexican President For Rejecting Offer To Send U.S. Troops Into Mexico To Fight Cartels

President Donald Trump stated on Sunday that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum turned down his suggestion to deploy U.S. troops to Mexico to combat the illegal drug trade due to her fear of the country’s powerful cartels. Trump’s remarks followed Sheinbaum’s confirmation that he had urged her in a call last month to involve the U.S. military more in fighting drug cartels in Mexico. The U.S. military presence along the southern border with Mexico has been steadily increasing in recent months, following Trump’s directive in January to enhance the army’s role in curbing migrant flows.

The U.S. Northern Command has bolstered troops and equipment at the border, heightened surveillance flights to monitor fentanyl trafficking, and sought expanded authority for U.S. Special Forces to collaborate with Mexican forces against cartels. However, Sheinbaum expressed that having U.S. troops operate within Mexico was crossing a line, emphasizing that sovereignty is not negotiable. Trump’s move to designate certain gangs and cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations” has led to restrictions on their movements and increased law enforcement resources against them.

Despite Trump’s belief that U.S. military intervention is crucial to combat the fentanyl crisis in the U.S., Sheinbaum’s refusal and subsequent comments indicate potential tensions between the two leaders regarding unilateral military actions. Trump’s approach aligns with his efforts to reduce fentanyl flow through tariff policies, aiming to hold Mexico, Canada, and China responsible for controlling drug trafficking into the U.S.