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The nation's President Claudia Sheinbaum has categorically rejected allegations that the US government is planning to send troops into the country to confront powerful drug trafficking organizations, stating that she has repeatedly refused such proposals from President Trump.

“It’s not going to happen,” Sheinbaum stated during her regular news conference on Tuesday. “We are opposed to any form of interventionism or external interference.”

Context on the Reports

Sheinbaum's comments follow a report quoting current and former American authorities that the US government has started planning for a mission to deploy American military personnel and agents into Mexico.

The report indicated that although the operation was not imminent and a conclusive choice had been reached, the initial phases of preparation had commenced along with discussions about the scope of the deployment.

Furthermore, the report mentioned that American forces would function under the authority of the American spy agencies, and that officers from the Central Intelligence Agency would take part as well.

The Nation's Response

But the Mexican leader was insistent that her nation had “no information” about such a planned incursion, although she acknowledged that in conversations with the US president, he had offered to send troops and additional resources to confront criminal groups.

“I’ve always said thank you very much, President Trump. But absolutely not, our country is a free, independent and sovereign country,” Sheinbaum declared.

Historical Cooperation and Current Tensions

The two nations have long collaborated in addressing cartels, with the United States at times dispatching intelligence, armed forces and DEA operatives to assist Mexico's initiatives to fight criminal networks.

But the entry of US troops into the territory to directly confront the cartels, especially without the nation's consent, would be an unheard-of step that would almost certainly damage an already tenuous bilateral relationship.

Latest Actions and Agreements

The Trump administration has made confronting drug-trafficking groups a central pillar of its foreign policy: in February, the US designated multiple drug cartels as terrorist groups.

It has also initiated a series of attacks against suspected drug-trafficking boats, including striking vessels in the eastern Pacific that resulted in the deaths of 14 alleged traffickers in late October.

Although Mexico rescued one of the survivors from the attack, the President criticized the actions and ordered representatives from her administration to address them with the American envoy to the nation.

On Tuesday, Sheinbaum also noted that Mexico had reached a security agreement with the United States that was negotiated over several months.

“We will proceed within this framework of understanding, which has defined guidelines … which respects our independence and our territoriality.”

Sheinbaum's Stance on Security Strategy

The national leader has also seemed less enthusiastic on militarised drug combat strategies than her predecessors: on the previous day, she dismissed any changes to the nation's security strategy despite the recent brutal killing of a mayor in a Mexican state.

“Some are calling for militarization and war, as occurred with the war on drugs,” Sheinbaum commented. “That didn’t work.”