The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, has expressed her opposition to the decision of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, to declare Mexican drug cartels as terrorists. Sheinbaum revealed that her government already has a team of lawyers assessing the potential legal implications of this unilateral measure.
In a morning conference, Sheinbaum emphasized the importance of collaboration and joint coordination between both countries to address the cartels' problem. She pointed out that the comprehensive strategy being implemented requires an approach that respects Mexico's sovereignty, with the aim of reducing violence in the country, preventing the trafficking of arms from the United States, and stopping the flow of drugs, especially fentanyl, into U.S. territory.
The Mexican president highlighted that fentanyl consumption is a public health issue that must be addressed by tackling its root causes, not just from the perspective of criminal groups. She also mentioned the need for the United States to work on reducing drug consumption and arms trafficking into Mexico.
Regarding Trump's order to consider certain Mexican cartels as terrorist groups, Sheinbaum expressed her doubts about the usefulness of this measure and underscored the importance of collaboration and mutual respect between both nations. The U.S. president's declaration could lead to the use of troops, covert operations, and even drones to combat the cartels in Mexican territory, as expressed by Trump in some interviews.
Sheinbaum stressed the importance of continuing to combat criminal groups from a perspective of collaboration and mutual coordination, aiming to reduce violence and illicit flows in the region. In this sense, the Mexican government is conducting a legal analysis of the potential repercussions of the measure proposed by Trump, with the aim of presenting a proposal to the U.S. government.
