President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to combat the flow of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids into the U.S., substances that are responsible for the deaths of more than 50,000 Americans per year.
As part of his plan, President-elect Trump has said in reiterated occasions that he will designate Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations as soon as he takes office on Jan. 20. By doing so, he would be legally permitted to send military personnel to fight the criminal groups.
He already tried to implement a similar idea during his first term, but the plan was shelved at the request of then-Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who said he wanted U.S. cooperation on fighting drug cartels instead of a direct intervention.
Current Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has taken a similar stance to her predecessor, saying that Mexico is a sovereign and independent state that works together with other governments to respond to humanitarian crises, including the fentanyl epidemic in the U.S.
Sheinbaum said in one of her daily press conferences that Trump's comments do not suggest a direct intervention into Mexico and told the media to listen carefully to what Trump is saying. "Just like there was a good relationship with López Obrador, I am convinced we will have a good relationship too," Sheinbaum said.
And although Sheinbaum added that Mexico will work together with the U.S. to curb the spread of fentanyl as well as other concerning issues such as immigration, the Mexican president suggested that Mexico will not be subordinated.
"The drugs are consumed in there [in the United States], the guns [the cartels use] come from there, and lives are lost down here," Sheinbaum said. "Mexico is a free, sovereign and independent country and we do not accept any interference," she added.
Recent reporting from Rolling Stone Magazine detailed plans from people close to Trump that involved sending special forces across the border to take on powerful cartels. The report also included discussions from transition officials about "how much to invade" Mexico.
Asked directly about this, Sheinbaum dismissed it by calling it "entirely a movie." "What I base myself on is the conversation – the two conversations – that I had with President Trump, and then, at the moment, the communication we will have with his work team and when he takes office," Sheinbaum said.
Differing views
It is not the first time both Trump and Sheinbaum have shared differing views when addressing the same issues. In November, both leaders spoke days after Trump threatened to impose sweeping new tariffs on Canada and Mexico as part of his effort to crack down on illegal immigration and drugs.
Trump said Sheinbaum "agreed to stop migration trough Mexico" while her Mexican counterpart indicated separately on social media that she told Trump that Mexico is already "taking care of" waves of migrants making their way to the U.S. and that Mexico had no interest in closing its borders.
"We reiterate that Mexico's position is not to close borders but to build bridges between governments and between peoples," Sheinbaum added.
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