Mexico warns the US not to ‘invade our sovereignty’ in fight against cartels

MEXICO CITY—Mexico’s president is warning the United States against any violation of its territory.

The warning comes after the U.S. classified six of Mexico’s biggest organized crime groups as foreign terrorist organizations. (Two others from Venezuela and El Salvador were included in that designation.)

During her morning press briefing Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said the U.S. made the decision to designate the cartels as terrorist groups unilaterally, without consulting Mexico. She said Mexico, like the U.S., is committed to fighting drug cartels, but through cooperation not coercion.

“This designation should not be used by the United States as an opportunity to invade our sovereignty,” she said.

President Trump has, in the past, floated the idea of bombing Mexico’s drug cartels in an effort to stop the flow of synthetic drugs.

In a recent interview, with Fox News, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said “all options will be on the table” when it comes to dealing with the cartels.

“If we’re dealing with what are designated to be foreign terrorist organizations who are specifically targeting Americans on our border… we will take that on,” he said. “Ultimately, we will hold nothing back to secure the American people.”

Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan directly threatened military action if the cartels take aim at the U.S. security forces now patrolling the border.

“I’ll will send a warning [to cartels],” he told ABC News. “You hurt a border patrol, you hurt a soldier, the wrath of President Trump is going to come down.”

Sheinbaum said Mexico is committed to working with the United States to stop the flow of fentanyl, but Mexico, she said, will not tolerate any American interference.

To that end, she sent a proposed constitutional amendment to Congress that explicitly says the Mexican people reject foreign interventions.

“The people of Mexico will under no circumstance accept foreign interventions… like coup d’états or interferences in our elections or the violation of the Mexican territory be it by land, sea or air,” reads one proposed constitutional change.