Claudia Sheinbaum, the president of Mexico, has condemned the recent wave of airstrikes the United States has carried out in the Caribbean Sea and, more recently, the Pacific Ocean.
Sheinbaum was asked about her position on the bombing campaign during her Thursday morning news conference.
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Sheinbaum responded, “Of course, we don’t agree.” We have informed the United States’ government and the public that international laws govern how to deal with the alleged illegal transportation of weapons or weapons across international waters.
Sheinbaum is the latest leader from Latin America to voice opposition to the airstrikes, which have claimed at least 37 lives since the campaign started on September 2.
Since President Donald Trump’s January resumption in charge of the US, Mexico has to strike a delicate balance with the US.
Trump’s second-term priorities included halting the flow of illegal immigration across the US-Mexico border and putting in place protectionist trade measures, most notably tariffs, to halt international trade.
Sheinbaum is under economic pressure.
Trump has imposed pressure on the Sheinbaum administration to fulfill his demands in order to accomplish those objectives.
For instance, the Trump White House made the announcement in late January that it would impose 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada, the two country’s neighbors and biggest trading partners, on their exports.
The Trump administration argued that the steep tax increase was necessary to hold the nations accountable for their commitments to halting the flow of potentiol and other drugs into our nation.
Trump agreed to halt the tariffs for 30 days on February 3 after receiving concessions from both countries.
In an effort to combat drug trafficking, Sheinbaum agreed to “immediately reinforce” Mexico’s border with the US with 5,000 National Guard soldiers.
Trump reportedly complimented Sheinbaum by saying, “You’re tough, you’re tough” during a phone call between the leaders. Sheinbaum has since been referred to as the “Trump whisperer” in media reports.
The Trump administration has continued to impose a 25% tariff on Mexico on trade and other issues, even though it still became effective in March.
For instance, Trump threatened to increase Mexico’s tariffs by 30% in a letter to Sheinbaum in July, threatening to do so for a month.
Trump attributed Sheinbaum’s government’s “strong relationship” but criticized her for being subpar.
Mexico has been assisting me in securing the border, but what Mexico has done is insufficient, Trump wrote. “Narco-Trafficking Playground” is a phrase that “Mexico still has not stopped the Cartels who are trying to turn the entire country into a Narco-Trafficking Playground.
Trump warned that he would add the same amount to the 30% tariff if Sheinbaum retaliated with own tariffs. After making a call with Sheinbaum, Trump eventually decided to withdraw from the threat of higher tariffs.
The US Treasury also sanctioned three prominent Mexican financial institutions in June, claiming they were conduits for the laundering of illicit drug money.
The banks denied the allegations, but the situation quickly deteriorated, with some of the sanctioned institutions reporting severed access to international financial platforms.
Fears of a US military attack
However, Trump’s administration has been reportedly considering using force against drug-smuggling cartels in recent weeks.
Trump’s second term saw the start of the escalation when he announced his intention to refer to Latin American cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations,” a term largely reserved for armed groups that use violence to destabilize the US.
Critics feared that the “terrorist” label represented a step in the direction of such a military action, even though the label alone does not.
Then, in May, Sheinbaum and Trump acknowledged the US’s offer to send its troops to Mexico to combat local drug cartels. As the US expanded its military presence along its shared border with Mexico, the revelation was made.
Sheinbaum confirmed to the media that the offer had been turned down. She said, “Sovereignty is not for sale.” “Sovereignty is loved and protected”
Sheinbaum once more sprang from a concern about a US strike on Mexican soil in August. Fears of an attack on foreign soil were raised in that month when it became clear that Trump had secretly signed an order authorizing US military action against Latin American cartels.
Sheinbaum argued, however, that the US would not operate on Mexican soil. She told reporters, “We cooperate, we collaborate, but there won’t be an invasion.” That has been ruled out for absolutely all. This is something we have stated on every call.
The Trump administration has made hints about a land-based attack in recent weeks as it launches a number of deadly airstrikes against alleged drug dealers.
Unknown is who would be the target of such an attack. Trump, however, reiterated his plans to launch a strike in an Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Wednesday, even with the US Congress’s consent.
Trump compared the alleged drug traffickers to “we will hit them very hard when they come in by land.” They haven’t yet experienced that, they said. However, we are now fully prepared to do that.
The Caribbean Sea targets have been the focus of the air strike campaign’s focus since September, which first commenced in Colombia. However, that campaign expanded this week to the Pacific Ocean, close to Colombia’s western coast.
Trump claims that he has identified the targets as small boats and, in some cases, submarines, who he claims were narcotics-gathering Americans. However, his administration has not provided any proof to back up those claims, and Latin American officials have warned that some of the victims’ victims appear to be fishermen.
One of the two survivors of the submarine attack, for example, was released by Ecuador, claiming there was no proof of criminal intent against him.
Meanwhile, Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, claimed Alejandro Carranza, a fisherman, was killed in the strikes. Trinidad and Tobago, a community that is close to the Venezuelan coast, has also expressed concern that the deceased’s missing relatives were among them.
Since September, there have been nine strikes against nautical vessels, with the most recent one occurring on Wednesday.
