Mexico Vows to Defend Sovereignty as Trump Reportedly Orders Strikes on Cartels
President Claudia Sheinbaum sought to reassure Mexicans on Friday that no foreign boots would march across their soil, even after leaked documents suggested the United States is preparing a covert campaign against drug traffickers it now labels as terrorists.
Sheinbaum: “An Invasion Will Not Happen”
- Speaking at her daily early-morning press briefing, Sheinbaum said any use of force by the U.S. military would not involve Mexican territory and had been presented to her government as “external” action.
- The president dismissed rumors that American special forces would soon appear on Mexican streets. “With absolute certainty, there will be no invasion of Mexico,” she stressed.
- Top aides in Mexico City have been in regular contact with U.S. counterparts “to verify the scope and legal basis” of any contemplated missions, she added.
New Directive, Classified Briefings and a Watchlist
The New York Times reported that former President Donald Trump has secretly signed a directive authorizing the Pentagon to move against narcotics networks whose reach now extends from Chiapas to Chicago. Though the White House has not officially confirmed the order, spokesman Anna Kelly framed it as part of a broader effort to elevate the status of major cartels to that of foreign terrorist organizations.
- Eight such groups were reclassified in February; six are based in Mexico, one in Venezuela, and another in El Salvador.
- Reuters separately disclosed internal FBI memos showing an aggressive push to add cartel suspects to the government’s terrorist watch list, potentially allowing U.S. authorities to freeze assets overnight and impose travel bans.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio signaled on Thursday that every tool—from clandestine surveillance to “kinetic action” offshore—is now on the table.
A $50 Million Bounty and Rising Tensions
The Trump administration doubled the reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to an eye-watering $50 million, accusing him of directing the so-called Cartel of the Suns in massive narcotics shipments toward U.S. consumers.
Caracas shot back swiftly. Foreign Minister Yván Gil labelled the bounty a “laughable distraction technique” and accused Washington of orchestrating a regional smear campaign ahead of upcoming elections in both countries.
Mexico’s Red Line
Echoing warnings she first issued in February, Sheinbaum closed her remarks by underscoring that Mexico remains open to intelligence-sharing, joint financial-crime investigations, and extradition—but never to foreign military deployment. “Cooperation must be built on sovereignty, not subordination,” she declared.
