'Sovereignty is not for sale': Sheinbaum rejects Trump's offer to send troops to Mexico to fight drug trafficking

The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, confirmed this Saturday that President Donald Trump proposed sending U.S. military troops to Mexican territory to fight drug trafficking, an offer she categorically rejected, stating that "sovereignty is not for sale."

The statement came during a government event in the state of Mexico, in response to a Wall Street Journal report published on Friday, which detailed Trump's push for greater U.S. military involvement against drug cartels on the shared border.

"On some of the calls, (Trump) said, 'What can we help you with to fight drug trafficking? I propose that the U.S. Army come in and help you,'" Sheinbaum recounted. "And you know what I told him: 'No, President Trump, the territory is inviolable, sovereignty is inviolable, sovereignty is not for sale, sovereignty is loved and defended,'" she emphasized, stressing that Mexico "will never accept the presence of the U.S. Army in our territory."

Sheinbaum stressed that, although both countries can collaborate on security issues, cooperation must respect territorial limits. "You can collaborate, we can work together, but you in your territory, we in ours," she insisted.

Tension between the two governments escalated following the U.S. decision in February to designate the Sinaloa cartel and other Mexican cartels as global terrorist organizations.

In response, Sheinbaum proposed a constitutional reform to strengthen protections for Mexico's national sovereignty, reaffirming her stance of not tolerating foreign interventions.

On the U.S. side, the Army has increased aerial surveillance over Mexican cartels to gather intelligence.

Although Sheinbaum has clarified that U.S. drone flights over Mexican territory are carried out with the authorization of the Mexican government, she has reiterated that any action that violates sovereignty will be rejected.

In recent months, the two leaders have held several talks to address security, trade, and migration issues. In February, they agreed to deploy 10,000 National Guard elements to the northern border in exchange for U.S. commitments to combat arms trafficking.