Trump offered to send troops to Mexico, but Sheinbaum says she turned him down

U.S. President Donald Trump had suggested deploying U.S. troops to Mexico to fight drug trafficking, but Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated on Saturday that she had turned down the offer because “sovereignty is not for sale.”

Sheinbaum’s remarks were in response to inquiries over a May 2 Wall Street Journal article claiming that Trump was putting pressure on Mexico to permit further U.S. military engagement against drug cartels in order to fight trafficking across the shared border.

“Trump asked, ‘How can we help you fight drug trafficking?'” on one of the talks. “I suggest that the U.S. Army intervene to assist you,” Sheinbaum remarked on Saturday while addressing a university gathering close to the capital.

“You are aware of what I told him? The president stated that although the two nations may cooperate, “we will never accept the presence of the United States military in our territory.” “No, President Trump, the territory is sacrosanct, sovereignty is sacrosanct, sovereignty is not for sale, sovereignty is loved and defended,” he added.

Trump has been “crystal clear that Mexico must do more to combat these gangs and cartels and the United States stands ready to assist and expand the already close cooperation between our two countries,” according to a U.S. National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson who was contacted by Reuters for comment.

“Dangerous foreign terrorist organizations continue to threaten our shared security and the drugs and crime they spread threaten American communities across the country,” the council spokesperson added, adding that Trump and Sheinbaum had collaborated to create the “most secure southwest border in history.”

When Reuters questioned if Trump had discussed troop deployments with Sheinbaum, the White House did not immediately answer.

Trump has openly stated that if Mexico did not remove drug gangs, the United States might launch a unilateral military campaign. In recent months, the two leaders have spoken on the phone multiple times to address trade, immigration, and security concerns.

Sheinbaum continued by saying that she had begged Trump for assistance during one of the calls in order to stop the flow of weapons that are used to incite violence and trafficking into Mexico from the United States.

“We can collaborate, we can work together, but you can do it in your territory, we can do it in ours,” Sheinbaum stated.

Tension between the two leaders increased toward the end of a phone call on April 16 when Trump pushed for the U.S. military to play a key role in combating Mexican criminal gangs who manufacture and transport fentanyl into the United States, according to a Wall Street Journal article on Friday.

Some observers have cautioned that the U.S. designation of the Sinaloa Cartel and other Mexican drug gangs as global terrorist organizations in February may serve as a prelude to such military action.

The U.S. military has also stepped up airborne surveillance of Mexican drug gangs in an effort to gather intelligence on how to best disrupt their operations.

Since then, Sheinbaum has put forth a constitutional amendment that would strengthen Mexico’s national sovereignty.