Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reiterated on Tuesday her government's rejection of any type of U.S. military intervention on Mexican territory, in response to statements from U.S. President Donald Trump, who said he would not rule out attacks against drug cartels.
"I have told her on all occasions that we can collaborate, but we operate in our territory and we do not accept any intervention from any foreign government," Sheinbaum affirmed. She also explained that she had this same dialogue personally with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during his visit to Mexico last September.
"The understanding we have is one of collaboration and coordination, and the first points make it very clear the respect for our sovereignty and territoriality," she noted. Sheinbaum specified that, after Trump's statements, the U.S. government itself clarified that any supposed military intervention would only occur if Mexico requested it.
"The only time the U.S. intervened militarily in Mexico in the 19th century, it took more than half the territory," she recalled. "It's not that we don't want support, but not with foreign troops, that's another matter," she expressed.
Amid this context, the cartels operating in Michoacán, located between Mexico City and Jalisco, began to resist military and police actions with roadblocks and vehicle burnings, amidst the escalation of tension caused by the murder of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo on November 1.
The newspaper Milenio reports that at least two people died during an operation carried out against Ángel Chávez Ponce, alias 'El Camaleón', a regional leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), who is accused of having assassinated last year the regional police chief of Pátzcuaro, Cristal García Hurtado, and her two bodyguards.
"That is not going to happen, in fact, there was a clarification afterwards," the head of state warned at a press conference, where she recalled that Trump had been repeatedly offering her military intervention during their phone calls.
"And we are not going to ask for it," she insisted.
The arrival of agents provoked a chase in the locality of La Cantera, which extended for several hours because cartel members blocked roads and burned dozens of private and cargo vehicles, in order to hinder police work. This way, they covered 'El Camaleón's' escape. Among the people who died during the operation, which was carried out by an aerial unit of the Public Security Secretariat and elements of the Army, would be a relative of Heraclio Guerrero Martínez, alias 'El Tío Lako'. Guerrero Martínez is a narco close to the CJNG leader, Nemesio Oseguera, 'El Mencho', one of the most wanted criminals in Mexico and the U.S.
Following the mayor's murder, which shocked the country, President of Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum put into motion a pacification plan for Michoacán. The operation ordered by the federal government includes the reinforcement of social programs to prevent the causes of violence, as well as greater police and military intervention. As a result of this deployment, 12 people were detained over the weekend, in addition to the seizure of explosives, firearms, cartridges, magazines, vehicles, and drugs.
"They have understood."
