United States Marine Corps troops patrol the U.S.-Mexico border area near San Diego in February. The Defense Department has deployed hundreds of active-duty troops to the region. (NurPhoto via Getty Images) By Kate LinthicumStaff Writer May 3, 2025 Updated 3:10 PM PT Share Share via Close extra sharing options Email Facebook X LinkedIn Threads Reddit WhatsApp Copy Link URL Copied! Print 27 Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says she told Trump that “our territory is inalienable, sovereignty is inalienable.”Trump has charged that Mexico is “essentially run by the cartels” and that the United States should “wage war” against them.A U.S. unilateral attack, some observers fear, could return Mexican politics to the gringo-bashing tendency that was once prevalent among Mexican politicians. MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s leader said Saturday that she rejected an offer by President Trump to send U.S. troops into her country to fight drug cartels.Speaking at a public event, President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed a report published Friday in the Wall Street Journal that said that Trump had pressured Mexico to allow more U.S. military involvement in the drug war.“It’s true,” Sheinbaum said. She said that on some private calls with the American leader in recent months, Trump said: “How can we help you fight drug trafficking? I propose that the United States Army enter to help you.” Advertisement Sheinbaum said she rebuffed his proposal, saying: “No, President Trump, our territory is inalienable, sovereignty is inalienable. ... We can collaborate, we can work together, but with you in your territory and us in ours. We can share information, but we will never accept the presence of the United States Army on our territory.” This remains an extremely sensitive topic for Mexicans, given previous military occupations by the U.S. and the strong sense of nationalism that resulted — Gustavo A. Flores-Macías, Cornell University professor A statement released by the White House on Saturday said that Sheinbaum and Trump had worked closely “to achieve the most secure southwest border in history,” but it did not directly address her comments on U.S. forces in Mexico. Advertisement “The President has been crystal clear that Mexico must do more do combat these gangs and cartels and the United States stands ready to assist and expand the already close cooperation between our two countries,” the statement said.Since Trump returned to the White House in January, his administration has ramped up CIA surveillance drone flights over Mexico, formally designated drug cartels as “foreign terrorist” groups and has repeatedly floated the possibility of deploying troops there to fight organized crime. He has massed U.S. troops on the northern side of the U.S. border with Mexico to crack down on unauthorized immigration and drug smuggling. Mexico is “essentially run by the cartels,” Trump said earlier this year, insisting that the United States should “wage war” against them. Advertisement Sheinbaum has rejected Trump’s characterization that Mexico is under cartel domination, and has vowed to defend her nation’s sovereignty against violations “by land, sea or air.” World & Nation U.S. official says drone flights over Mexico may signal future strikes The Trump administration wants to use the military to fight Mexican drug cartels. Feb. 21, 2025 But the Mexican president’s latest comments confirm that Mexico remains under intense pressure from Washington to accept greater U.S. involvement in the anti-drug fight, noted Gustavo A. Flores-Macías, professor of government at Cornell University.“This remains an extremely sensitive topic for Mexicans, given previous military occupations by the U.S. and the strong sense of nationalism that resulted,” Flores-Macías wrote via email.That gives Sheinbaum “little room to maneuver” as Trump continues to insist on dispatching U.S. troops south of the border. “The Mexican government would be wise to take the threat of unilateral U.S. strikes against the cartels very seriously, while making it clear to the White House that the costs in terms of the economy, security and migration would be steep,” Flores-Macias wrote.Unilateral U.S. strikes, experts say, could result in Mexico being obliged to take retaliatory measures, such as cutting back on bilateral cooperation on key issues such as security and immigration. U.S. attacks that result in civilian casualties could even force Mexico to cut diplomatic ties with its major trading partner. World & Nation ‘The United States is the villain of our story.’ Nationalism surges in Mexico amid Trump threats Since Trump took office in January, hurling insults and threatening devastating tariffs and U.S. drone strikes, Mexico has been seized by a nationalistic fervor. April 25, 2025 No administration in modern times has taken such a militaristic approach to Mexico, a U.S. ally that Trump blames for producing the fentanyl that has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans. Advertisement Trump’s stance upends recent U.S. policy, which emphasized beefing up the rule of law in Mexico, and stands at odds with Mexico’s security strategy, which has veered away from the sort of fierce cartel confrontations that drove record levels of bloodshed.Trump’s fixation on organized crime in Mexico has put Sheinbaum in a difficult position. She has tried to appease him to try to avert the potentially catastrophic tariffs that he has threatened unless Mexico cracks down on fentanyl trafficking. She sent thousands of National Guard troops to fortify the northern border and is transferring dozens of suspected cartel members to the U.S.But she has also had to show fellow Mexicans that she is defending national sovereignty. Since Trump took office in January, nationalism has surged here. On TikTok, users have demanded a boycott of American products, filming themselves pouring Coca Cola down the drain. Companies have embraced the red, green and white of the Mexican flag in ad campaigns.A U.S. unilateral attack, some fear, could return Mexican politics to the gringo-bashing tendency that was once prevalent among Mexican politicians. But official dumping on the United States has generally diminished in recent years as economic, cultural and other U.S.-Mexico ties have strengthened and millions of Mexicans have emigrated to the United States. Remittances to Mexico from people of Mexican ancestry in the United States now top more than $60 billion annually, comprising a key pillar of the Mexican economy.Patrick J. McDonnell and Cecilia Sánchez Vidal in Mexico City and Michael Wilner in Washington contributed to this report. More to Read Mexico’s president wants to ban U.S. ads warning against migration April 21, 2025 Mexico warns against potential U.S. drone strikes on cartels April 8, 2025 Kristi Noem, Trump’s secretary of Homeland Security, meets Mexican president March 29, 2025
