Mexico City, Mexico – Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Thursday praised the comments made by the expected next U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which seem to favor cooperation with Mexico to tackle drug cartels rather than promises of military intervention.
On January 15, Rubio, who President-elect Donald Trump has nominated as his Secretary of State, discussed the incoming cabinet’s strategy to combat drug cartels. Some in Trump’s inner circle had been promoting U.S. military intervention in Mexico during the 2024 campaign, drawing concerns from the U.S.’s southern neighbor.
“From the Department of State’s perspective, my preference would be that we can work with the Mexicans on this issue cooperatively, because it is impacting their nation as much as ours,” said Rubio.
During her morning briefing on January 16, Sheinbaum, who has worked relentlessly to deescalate Trump’s often polarizing speech, praised Rubio’s comments.
“And that is what we have been saying, that to address issues of migration, security problems, and drug trafficking, the best approach is coordination at the highest level. And that, while respecting our sovereignties, we can collaborate and coordinate to reduce criminal activity in Mexico, prevent the flow of weapons from the United States to Mexico, and, at the same time, contribute in every way necessary to reduce the fentanyl crisis in the United States; and everything related to the security of both nations,” she said.
Border security and drug trafficking have spearheaded Trump’s campaign promises related to Mexico. Alongside Republican hardliners, Trump has promised to crack down on criminal groups fueling the narcotics epidemic plaguing the U.S., especially fentanyl, the synthetic opioid largely attributed to Mexican drug cartels as its leading producer and distributor.
In this endeavor, Trump has promised to designate drug cartels in Mexico as terrorist organizations and even suggested covert military operations to take down cartel leaders within Mexican territory.
In Latin America, a few armed groups remain on the U.S.’s Foreign Terrorist Organization list, including the Shining Path in Peru; as well as Colombia’s National Liberation Army (ELN), Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army (FARC-EP), and Segunda Marquetalia.
For the Mexican President, Rubio’s seemingly deescalating tone is a relief as Trump is set to return to the White House on January 20.
“So, what does that mean? It’s good news in the sense that, as soon as President Trump takes office with his team, he will open up space for this high-level coordination, which is so important,” she said.
“So, we will go with this part of the collaboration, we take his word for it,” said the president.
