Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Thursday said that her country would never tolerate an “invasion” of its sovereignty, after Washington’s decision to designate several drug cartels as terrorist organisations. She vowed new legal action against US gunmakers, accusing them of negligence for weapons reaching drug traffickers.
Sheinbaum pointed out collaboration without subordination, saying, “They can call them (the cartels) whatever they want, but with Mexico, it is collaboration and coordination, never subordination or interventionism, and even less invasion.”
Her remarks came amid rising pressure from US President Donald Trump’s administration to curb drug trafficking and illegal migration. To avoid Trump’s threatened 25% tariffs, Mexico has increased cooperation in combating narcotics smuggling.
The US has labelled eight Latin American drug trafficking groups as terrorist organisations, including Mexico’s Jalisco New Generation and Sinaloa cartels—two of the most powerful and violent criminal groups in the country.
The designation of cartels, “cannot be an opportunity for the US to invade our sovereignty,” Mexican president said.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio attempted to ease concerns, stating the US prefers to work in partnership with Mexico while providing intelligence on cartel activities.
“In the case of Mexico, the preference always is to work in conjunction with our partners in Mexico, and we can provide them a lot of information about who they are and where they’re located,” he said.
Sheinbaum also indicated that Mexico’s lawsuit against US gunmakers could expand to include charges of alleged “complicity” with terrorist groups.
The designations have sparked speculation about potential military actions, with tech billionaire Elon Musk suggesting “they’re eligible for drone strikes.” Sheinbaum confirmed that the US has been operating drones to monitor cartels as part of long-standing cooperation.
Amid growing tensions, Sheinbaum announced plans to propose a constitutional reform to safeguard Mexico’s sovereignty against violations by land, air, or sea.
Meanwhile, Canada joined the US in labelling seven drug cartels as “terrorist entities,” including the Gulf Cartel, Sinaloa Cartel, Michoacan Family, United Cartels, MS-13, TdA, and Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
Mexico estimates that up to 750,000 weapons from US manufacturers are smuggled across the border annually. Despite strict firearm controls, drug-related violence has resulted in approximately 480,000 deaths since the army was deployed to combat trafficking in 2006.
Although Sheinbaum ruled out declaring “war” on cartels, she has moved away from her predecessor’s “hugs not bullets” policy by increasing drug seizures and deploying more troops to the US border. This shift comes as part of negotiations with Trump to temporarily pause tariff threats.
This week, Mexican authorities arrested two key figures from the Sinaloa Cartel, including the head of security for one of its factions.
