The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, presented two constitutional reforms to the Congress of the Union in order to impose the severest penalties on foreigners participating in activities that interfere with investigations and prosecutions without the authorization of the Mexican Government. This move was made in response to the decision of the United States to designate six Mexican drug cartels as terrorist groups.
In her morning conference, Sheinbaum proposed to reform Articles 19 and 40 of the Constitution to protect Mexico from external interventions, including a potential U.S. invasion. The reform to Article 40 establishes that the people of Mexico will not accept foreign interference that threatens the integrity and sovereignty of the country. Additionally, it proposes that any intervention in investigations and prosecutions requires authorization and collaboration from the Mexican State.
The reform to Article 19 seeks to impose the most severe possible penalty on foreigners involved in illicit activities, such as the manufacture, distribution, and transportation of weapons, with precautionary measures such as mandatory preventive detention. Sheinbaum stated that Mexico will collaborate with the United States to combat drug trafficking and violence, but without compromising national sovereignty.
The president also announced an expansion of charges against producers and distributors of arms selling to the Mexican cartels. In this regard, they will seek to prosecute those supplying weapons to these criminal groups for complicity. Sheinbaum emphasized that the U.S. Department of Justice reported that 74% of the weapons seized in Mexico come from the U.S.
