Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed publicly that she turned down US military assistance from President Donald Trump, who wanted to help the country combat drug trafficking and violent cartels.
In response to a Wall Street Journal report detailing the offer on Friday, Sheinbaum confirmed “it is true.”
According to reports, Trump called Sheinbaum and asked, “How can we help you fight drug trafficking?”
She informed Trump that the country will “never accept” the presence of the US Army on its territory.
“No, President Trump, our territory is inalienable, sovereignty is inalienable,” Sheinbaum told reporters. “We are open to collaboration. We can collaborate, but only within our respective territories. We can exchange information, but we will never accept the presence of the US Army on our territory.”
In a written statement to Fox News Digital on Saturday, White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly emphasized collaborative efforts with Mexico to address border security.
“President Trump has worked with President Sheinbaum to advance border security collaboration with Mexico to the highest levels ever,” Kelly wrote in a letter. “This robust cooperation and information sharing is delivering tangible results, including the removal of numerous cartel leaders to the U.S. to face justice and creating the most secure border in history.”
Since taking office, Trump has continued to use CIA drones to conduct surveillance flights over the country in cooperation with the Mexican government.
He has also formally designated drug cartels as “foreign terrorist” organizations.
Kelly, on the other hand, stated that Mexico must do more to protect Americans from dangerous foreign terrorist organizations and “the drugs and violence they flood into communities on both sides of the border.”
“We will continue exploring ways to enhance our efforts across the region to dismantle these transnational criminal organizations,” she said in an email. “We will make America safe again.”
The Heritage Foundation, a leading conservative organization, issued a report in January outlining how Trump could use the military to address the border crisis.
It argued that Mexican cartels are expanding, illegal immigration and drug smuggling have increased, and US-Mexico security cooperation has deteriorated.
However, the report stated that direct military action against cartels should be used as a “last resort,” with joint military action with Mexican coordination preferred, as reported by Fox News Digital earlier.
“In the appropriate context, unilateral U.S. military action may be employed to disrupt cartel activity and prompt cooperation from a resistant Mexican government,” according to the organization.
Despite the escalating threat from cartels, the foundation claimed Mexico would not change its stance if Sheinbaum was elected.