The President of Mexico rejects an American offer to send military forces.
Mexican President Claudia Shinbaum revealed her rejection of an offer made by U.S. President Donald Trump to send American military forces to Mexico to assist in combating drug cartels, affirming that "Mexico's sovereignty is not negotiable."
This came during her statements in a speech on Saturday, May 3, citing reports published by the Wall Street Journal about pressure from the White House to accept the deployment of American forces on Mexican soil.
Shinbaum explained that Trump proposed during a phone call the idea of sending the U.S. army to support efforts against organized crime, to which she responded, "No, President Trump, Mexico's territories are not negotiable, sovereignty is not negotiable, and we will never accept the presence of the U.S. army on our lands," as reported by the French Press Agency.
Instead, Shinbaum suggested enhancing bilateral cooperation and exchanging information between the two countries to confront the ongoing violence for the past two decades, which has claimed the lives of over 450,000 people.
She also called on the U.S. President to take decisive actions against the smuggling of weapons from the United States to Mexico, which fuels the activities of criminal gangs.
In a positive step, Shinbaum pointed out that Trump issued an order on Friday to "do everything possible to prevent weapons from entering our country from the United States," expressing hope that this would contribute to reducing violence rates.
