MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Claudia Scheinbaum said Friday that efforts to crack down on Mexican cartels and slow northward migration are showing “convincing results” in an effort to thwart the Trump administration’s interventionist rhetoric.
It comes after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened that U.S. troops “will now begin landing” drug cartels in Mexico following a massive U.S. military assault on Venezuela that ousted then-President Nicolás Maduro.
Sheinbaum, a left-wing figure who prides himself on being a “cool head” in dealing with chaos, has sought to placate Trump and, unlike Maduro, is committed to building strong ties between the Mexican and U.S. governments. An attack on Venezuela in early January put much of Latin America on edge, fueling fears that Trump could soon turn U.S. troops to other countries, particularly Cuba and Mexico.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Mexican Foreign Secretary Juan Ramon de la Fuente issued a joint statement after a phone call Thursday night, saying they agreed “more must be done to address common threats.”
Scheinbaum mentioned the call at a news conference Friday morning, where she said the Mexican government has made significant progress in cracking down on cartels, citing a sharp drop in homicide rates, a significant reduction in fentanyl seizures by U.S. authorities at the border and a lack of migrants. She noted that this was a joint effort with the U.S.
“The joint collaboration and the work that Mexico has been doing has had very dramatic results,” she said.
She reiterated her call for the United States to stop arms trafficking to Mexico and highlighted drug use in the United States as a key factor fueling Mexican cartel violence.
“The other side must also do its part. The consumption crisis on their side must also be addressed from a public health perspective through educational campaigns,” she said.
Sheinbaum and Trump also spoke by phone on Monday. Sheinbaum said she told Trump again that there was no need for the United States to intervene in Mexico.