Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem To Meet With Mexican President Sheinbaum To Discuss Security Cooperation

As part of a tour that will take her to three Latin American countries, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is set to meet with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente on March 28 to discuss topics related to immigration and crime.

Noem's first stop was in El Salvador, where she visited the Terrorist Confinement Center and met with President Nayib Bukele on March 26. The following day, Noem met with several Colombian officials, including Migration Director Nigeria Rentería and President Gustavo Petro. According to her itinerary, Noem will meet with Mexican officials to discuss the country's response to combating cartels and curbing illegal immigration.

During a morning press conference on March 28, Sheinbaum told reporters that she would present Mexico's security strategy to Noem. This strategy focuses on addressing the root causes of the country's immigration and drug cartel problems, as well as strengthening the National Guard and promoting cooperation with local authorities.

"More than informing, we will share with her what is being done and also the collaborative work that has been established with the United States within the framework of national sovereignty, avoiding any intervention while cooperating at the same time," Sheinbaum said, according to Milenio.

Before her visit to Mexico, Noem met with high-ranking officials in El Salvador and Colombia to discuss crime and immigration. In Colombia, she signed the Statement of Intent for Biometric Cooperation, an agreement aimed at facilitating the sharing of biometric data between Colombia and the U.S. to help identify and prevent "criminals and terrorists" from crossing into the U.S.

According to Noem, the biometric data-sharing initiative has already led to more than 1,700 deportations and 1,000 arrests.

In El Salvador, Noem signed the Memorandum of Cooperation with Minister of Justice and Public Security Gustavo Villatoro. According to Noem, the agreement ensures that fugitives' criminal records are shared between the U.S. and El Salvador to prevent them from "being inadvertently released into American communities."

Since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House, he has threatened to impose tariffs on imports from countries that do not comply with his requests to combat immigration and crime, creating a tense diplomatic relationship with several Latin American countries.

The tension has created a back-and-forth between the Trump administration and countries hit with the tariffs, which in turn created counter-measures from Mexico, Canada and China.

Earlier this month, Sheinbaum reiterated her desire of working together with the Trump administration but emphasized that a possible military intervention, suggested by U.S. officials in the past, is not the answer.

"We have said it in different ways: cooperation and coordination, yes. Interventionism, no. Mexico is to be respected, we are equal nations," she added.

Despite the friction, Sheinbaum said the meeting with Noem will be taken with a friendly approach.

"She is interested in immigration. We are going to talk about the immigration issue, and it will be a cordial meeting of coordination," Sheinbaum told reporters.