Mexico’s president, Claudia SheinbaumMexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has dismissed the possibility of a United States military incursion into her country, following reports that Donald Trump had authorised the use of force against Latin American drug cartels designated as terrorist organisations.
“The United States is not going to come to Mexico with their military,” Sheinbaum told reporters at her daily press conference on Friday. “We cooperate, we collaborate, but there will be no invasion. It’s off the table, absolutely off the table.”
She confirmed her government had been informed of the executive order but stressed it involved no deployment of foreign forces on Mexican soil. The foreign ministry later reiterated that it “would not accept the participation of US military forces on our territory” after the US embassy in Mexico issued a statement vowing that both countries would use “every tool at our disposal” to combat drug trafficking.
The New York Times first reported on the secret directive, citing sources familiar with the matter, noting it would permit direct military operations overseas and at sea against cartels. US secretary of state Marco Rubio said the move would allow the government to employ “other elements of American power” including intelligence agencies and the Department of Defence, to strike at trafficking networks.
“We have to start treating them as armed terrorist organisations, not simply drug-dealing organisations,” Rubio said.
In February, the state department classified seven criminal groups, including five of Mexico’s most powerful cartels, as foreign terrorist organisations. The White House argued these groups posed “a national security threat beyond that posed by traditional organised crime” through activities including infiltration of foreign governments.
The Trump administration has previously sent thousands of active-duty troops, drones and surveillance aircraft to the south-west border to curb both drug smuggling and irregular migration. However, the latest order would mark a significant escalation, potentially paving the way for unilateral American military action in the region.
Jack Riley, former deputy administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, welcomed the directive as “the next logical step”, arguing it could bolster training, funding and enforcement efforts overseas. However, he acknowledged that legal challenges in the US over Trump’s authority to act without congressional approval were likely.
In Mexico, security experts warned the move could backfire, undermining rather than dismantling trafficking networks and causing severe damage to bilateral ties. Cecilia Farfán-Méndez, of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime, said: “It’s not a welcome development, once again there’s been a misdiagnosis of these illicit markets and how we can weaken them.”
The development comes as Mexico negotiates both a tariff deal and a new security agreement with Washington, talks Sheinbaum has described as close to conclusion. Past cooperation, such as the Mérida Initiative under former president Felipe Calderón, never extended to allowing US forces on Mexican soil. Farfán-Méndez warned that crossing that “red line” could lead Mexico to halt collaboration altogether.
“It would have very serious consequences,” she said. “Mexico would ask, ‘what’s the incentive to collaborate with you if you’re going to take unilateral action anyway?’”
