The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, announced her plans on Thursday to suggest changes to the constitution. The objective of these reforms is to safeguard the nation’s sovereignty amid concerns that the United States military might enter Mexican territory to pursue drug cartels.
Sheinbaum’s statement came in response to the Trump administration’s decision to classify six Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist groups. This action raised apprehensions that President Donald Trump could be laying the groundwork for potential U.S. military incursions into Mexico.
“The Mexican population will not tolerate any form of foreign intervention, meddling, or any other actions that could jeopardize the country’s integrity, independence, and sovereignty,” emphasized Sheinbaum.
The Mexican cartels on the Trump administration’s list include the Sinaloa, Jalisco, Zetas, the Gulf Cartels, Cartel Unidos and “La Nueva Familia Michoacana.” Other groups include the international Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and the Salvadoran gang Mara Salvatrucha – also known as MS-13.
“What we want to make clear in the face of this designation is that we do not negotiate sovereignty,” Sheinbaum said. “This cannot be an opportunity for the United States to invade our sovereignty.”
Sheinbaum also proposed a second reform to the constitution to create harsher penalties for Mexican nationals and foreigners involved in gun trafficking.
Mexico has long demanded that the U.S. do more to prevent guns from being smuggled into Mexico from the U.S.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
