Mexican prez rushes to calm fears as shadow of US troops on Mexican soil darkens

Washington D.C.: The prospect of American troops fighting drug cartels on Mexican soil has sparked a diplomatic row between between Donald Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Sheinbaum revealed she rejected Trump’s proposal during a recent call, stating, “Our territory is inviolable, our sovereignty is inviolable.” Trump confirmed the offer, accusing cartels of “destroying our people” and claiming Sheinbaum is “so afraid of the cartels that she can’t even think straight".

Sheinbaum has deployed troops to the border and extradited high-profile criminals, including drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero.

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Experts warn that military force alone won’t dismantle cartels, emphasizing the need for intelligence and judicial reforms. However, Trump has hinted at unilateral action if Mexico fails to act, prompting Sheinbaum to warn against any “invasion” of sovereignty. 

Since January, Trump has imposed various tariffs on Mexico.Trump directly linked some of those tariffs to reducing the movement of illegal migrants and fentanyl across the border into the US, and Sheinbaum’s cabinet has made major efforts to persuade him to withdraw them.

Sheinbaum first sent 10,000 additional troops to the border, then Mexico sent 29 high-level organised crime operatives to face justice in the US, including Rafael Caro Quintero, the drug lord who was convicted of the murder of an undercover US Drug Enforcement Administration agent, Enrique "Kiki" Camarena Salazar, in 1985.