Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum revealed on january 12 that she had a "very good" 15-minute phone call with US president Donald Trump. She affirmed that the two governments will continue to cooperate on various security issues and that Washington will not need to intervene to address the drug crime problem.
"The US president asked my opinion on what the US did in Venezuela. I responded that mexico's constitution clearly states: We do not accept any acts of intervention. Period," Sheinbaum said.
President Trump then emphasized that the US was ready to deploy troops to help address drug crime gangs if Mexico requested. "I replied that things are progressing well and that option is unnecessary. Furthermore, Mexico wants to maintain its territorial integrity and ensure sovereignty. He understood my point," she stated.
President Sheinbaum believes that statistics, such as a significant reduction in murder cases in Mexico, the amount of fentanyl seized in the US, and a decrease in fentanyl overdose deaths, provide compelling evidence of the current policy's effectiveness.
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President Claudia Sheinbaum speaks during a press conference on january 12 in Mexico City. Photo: AFP
During his first year in office, the US leader repeatedly proposed assisting Mexico in fighting drugs through military intervention and ground raids on criminal gangs. President Sheinbaum consistently rejected these US proposals, while also easing her neighbor's concerns by investing more in controlling migrant flows and border vulnerabilities.
However, president Trump's statements about military intervention in Mexico gained significant weight after Washington conducted a raid and arrested Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife in the early hours of january 3.
In an interview with Fox News mid-last week, the US president announced that the government had "broken up about 97% of drug trafficking by sea." He described the next step in the fight against drugs as "ground assaults targeting criminal gangs."
Trump also reiterated his concern that "criminal gangs are running Mexico" and called it a sad reality.
Three days later, mexican foreign minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente spoke by phone with his US counterpart Marco Rubio and was asked to provide "concrete results" in anti-drug efforts. Washington also requested that its neighbor strengthen cooperation to eliminate criminal gangs, according to a statement from the US Department of State.
Some experts still believe that US intervention in Mexico is unlikely because Mexico is meeting many of Washington's demands and is a key economic partner. However, Trump may continue to pressure Mexico with similar tough messages in the future.
by Thanh Danh (AP)
