Sheinbaum seeks tighter US ties after Trump's cartel strike threats
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum directed her foreign minister on Friday to bolster security coordination with the United States, responding to President Donald Trump's threats of ground military strikes against drug cartels operating in Mexico. Speaking at her morning press conference in Acapulco, Sheinbaum said she instructed Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente to reach out directly to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and, if needed, speak with Trump to enhance bilateral cooperation. The move came hours after Trump told Sean Hannity on Fox News Thursday that the US would "now begin striking on land regarding the cartels," claiming they "run Mexico."
Trump's remarks followed the dramatic US military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on January 3, representing the latest escalation in his warnings of deploying American forces on Mexican soil. He stated the US had eliminated 97% of drugs arriving by sea and would now target land routes, pointing to at least 35 documented strikes on suspected drug trafficking vessels since September that killed 115 people.
Sheinbaum has consistently rejected any unilateral US military action in Mexico as a sovereignty violation while simultaneously deepening security ties to avoid becoming Trump's next target. Earlier this week, she condemned the US intervention in Venezuela, asserting that "the Americas belong to no doctrine or power." On Friday, she downplayed Trump's threats as part of his communication style, emphasizing an existing "security agreement" with Washington that continues to strengthen, and noting Rubio's recent praise for bilateral coordination.
To showcase progress against cartels, Sheinbaum highlighted preliminary data on Thursday showing homicides dropped 40% since she took office in October 2024, from 86.9 daily deaths in September 2024 to 52.4 in December 2025. She has overseen the extradition of dozens of alleged high-level cartel figures to the US and launched a military offensive against the Sinaloa cartel.
Security analysts suggest Sheinbaum will likely draw even closer to Washington following the Venezuela operation, betting that tighter bilateral security cooperation will deter unilateral US strikes. "We do not want to consider any other scenario," she said, referring to sustained joint security efforts.
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