Sheinbaum rejects U.S. operations on Mexican soil
Original reporting: Tribuna Sonora
What happened
According to Tribuna Sonora, Sheinbaum said U.S. requests for joint anti-cartel operations have been rejected repeatedly while information sharing and parallel border patrols continue under Mexican law.
Reporting and context
President Claudia Sheinbaum said on October 26 that Mexico has repeatedly rejected U.S. requests to conduct joint operations against cartels on Mexican territory, according to Tribuna Sonora. She said Washington had raised the proposal several times since the start of President Donald Trump’s administration.
Speaking at her morning news conference in Mexico City, Sheinbaum said security cooperation must respect Mexico’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and National Security Law. U.S. forces would not be permitted to operate inside Mexico, she said, while agencies from both countries could continue coordinating and exchanging information.
She described parallel border patrols as one form of cooperation already in use: U.S. personnel operate on their side of the border while Mexican personnel patrol from Mexico. If U.S. agencies provide information about people generating violence in Mexico, Mexican federal forces carry out the operations, she said.
Tribuna Sonora reported that her comments followed questions about a New York Times article describing Washington’s pressure for joint operations. The newspaper’s account, as summarized by Tribuna, linked that push to a search for a security achievement ahead of U.S. midterm elections. Sheinbaum said the requests were longstanding rather than a new development.
She also said any equipment requested from the United States would be sought by Mexico and would not entail U.S. forces conducting operations in the country. The cooperation framework, she said, rests on the bilateral understanding and Mexican law, with coordination that does not place Mexico under U.S. command.
The report describes tariffs and the review of the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement as additional sources of pressure from Washington. Sheinbaum maintained that the security relationship had produced results while reiterating her government’s refusal to authorize U.S. operations on Mexican soil.
Original report: Tribuna Sonora.