Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum has issued a strong warning against possible U.S. drone strikes on its territory amid reports that the Trump administration is weighing the possibility as a way to combat drug cartels.
Sheinbaum laid bare Mexico's position when asked about the matter during her daily morning news conference:
"We do not agree with any kind of intervention or interference. This has been very clear: We coordinate, we collaborate, (but) we are not subordinate and there is no meddling in these actions"
Her comments follow a report published this week by NBC News, which cited six current and former U.S. officials who claimed that the Trump administration is considering drone operations that could include unilateral strikes on cartel infrastructure inside Mexico.
According to the report, the proposed strikes would target individuals, vehicles, warehouses, and other cartel assets. The objective, officials said, is to "build a target deck" to disrupt trafficking operations. While joint action with Mexico remains an option, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and ambassador nominee Ronald Johnson have both stated that "all cards are on the table," leaving the door open to U.S. strikes without Mexican approval.
Following Johnson's comments, which were made back in mid-March, Sheinbaum said that her administration has drawn a clear line at military intervention. "He (Johnson) said everything's on the table—well no, not everything is on the table, nor on the chair, nor on the floor, nor anywhere, not that," she said, adding that if Johnson were ratified by the Senate, "there will be a good relationship with the ambassador, but, as we've said, Mexico is to be respected."
The possibility of unilateral action has sparked concern in Mexico. "There is no doubt if there were unilateral action inside Mexico, this would put the bilateral relationship into a nosedive," said Arturo Sarukhán, Mexico's former ambassador to the U.S., to NBC News, adding that it would "represent a violation of international law and an act of war."
Sheinbaum has won "widespread praise at home and abroad for her administration's 'cool-headed' talks with the Trump administration on the contentious issue of tariffs, praise that were on display in a recent report by The New York Times, which highlighted the fact that the U.S. president has referred to his Mexican counterpart as "a wonderful woman" with whom he has a "very good" relationship.
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