The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, reiterated her rejection of any possibility of intervention by the United States Army on national territory. During a press conference, from Mexico City, the head of state stated that the security of her country is the exclusive responsibility of the national authorities. She did so in response to recent statements by President Donald Trump that Mexico is the "epicenter" of cartel violence, as reported by the Noticias Argentina agency through Xinhua. Firm Rejection "It's very good that President Trump says publicly that when he has proposed that the United States Army enter Mexico, we have said no, because it is the truth. We have said no and proudly we continue to say no," she emphasized. She then recalled that she has repeatedly rejected the proposals of the United States to participate in operations against organized crime. According to Sheinbaum, the armed forces and Mexican authorities have "advanced" in terms of security and the fight against drug trafficking through bilateral cooperation, which is why she called on the United States to curb the illegal trafficking of weapons so that these groups do not have "this type of high-powered weaponry." "Criminal groups, organized crime, the weaponry they have, at least 75%, recognized by the United States Department of Justice itself, comes from the United States," she stated. Likewise, the president emphasized the importance of the neighboring country addressing drug consumption as part of the strategy to combat drug trafficking. Last Saturday, during the inauguration of the "Shield of the Americas" summit in Miami, Florida, the U.S. president stated that Mexico is "the epicenter of cartel violence" and announced a military coalition in Latin America to fight these groups. Commercial Decisions Making commercial decisions based on evidence and discarding unilateral tariffs should be priorities in the next review of the USMCA, declared senior Mexican officials on Monday. During a consultation event for the Treaty between the United States, Mexico, and Canada (USMCA), Mexico's Secretary of Agriculture, Julio Berdegué, pointed out that recent U.S. measures and direct subsidies to the grain sector caused commercial distortions totaling approximately 12 billion dollars. "A key element is the urgent need for the government of the United States, in particular, to again respect the principle that decisions affecting trade, even if they are not strictly commercial measures, must be based on evidence, science, and technology," Berdegué said in a speech. The Secretary of Economy, Marcelo Ebrard, added that 78.5% of Mexico's economic sectors support the renewal of the pact and asked for its improvement to avoid unilateral tariffs. He indicated that the review will focus on reducing dependence on imports, strengthening rules of origin, and reinforcing the security of North America's supply chain. Ebrard also highlighted the need for Mexico to increase the national production of pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence. Bilateral talks between Mexico and the United States are scheduled to begin next week, while talks between Mexico and Canada are scheduled for May.
