Mexico and the United States began talks on security and economy last Monday. In her morning conference at the National Palace, President Claudia Sheinbaum stated that she will find the 'best moment' to meet with US President Donald Trump, and that the federal government's priority is to have a good relationship with that country. Sheinbaum's statements came amid an exchange of messages with Trump over the weekend. Last Friday, Trump insisted that the Mexican head of state 'should not have rejected' his 'help' to face the cartels in the Latin American country, referring to a possible US military intervention against drug traffickers, and said that the cartels 'like it or not, control Mexico'. Sheinbaum responded over the weekend that in cooperation with the United States on security issues, national sovereignty is not up for negotiation and that in Mexico, the people rule. 'There are those who say: 'In Mexico, who knows who governs?' No. In Mexico, the people of Mexico govern! That's the difference,' she stated. The head of the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), Omar García Harfuch, held a meeting in Washington on Wednesday with the FBI director, Kash Patel, where they discussed security cooperation. The meeting took place two days after the Mexican official met with the director of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Terrance Cole, with whom he discussed, among other topics, the fight against drug and arms trafficking. García Harfuch indicated in a message on his social networks: 'In Washington, I met with the FBI director, Kash Patel, representing the Security Cabinet.' Mexico stated that, as a result of the exchange of information, the country's authorities have detained 'several targets included on the FBI's most wanted list, as well as the detention of other generators of violence that affect our country.' The minister also emphasized that Mexico will continue to work to reduce violence in the country, complying with the instructions of President Claudia Sheinbaum. 'Previously, governance was for a few. The Fourth Transformation: we are governments of the people, by the people, and for the people of Mexico,' she said during a tour in Nayarit. The debate on security cooperation between the two countries intensified after the operation on February 22 in Tapalpa, Jalisco, which resulted in the death of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias 'El Mencho', considered one of the most wanted drug traffickers by Mexico and the United States, precisely by the FBI. Sheinbaum was not invited to the 'Shield of the Americas' summit in Miami, where Trump met with a dozen right-wing Latin American leaders to form a military alliance against drug trafficking. 'We reaffirm that bilateral cooperation, based on reciprocity, respect for our sovereignty, and shared responsibility, allows us to advance with concrete results,' she stated.
