At her Wednesday morning press conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that her government is afraid of cartels.
On the day she was named as one of “the 100 most influential people of 2025” by Time magazine, she also spoke about the United States’ security maneuverings both north and south of the Mexico-U.S. border.
Mexico sends diplomatic note to US
A reporter asked the president about the United States’ reported plan to establish a military base on its southern border with Mexico.
The question came after United States Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum traveled to New Mexico on Tuesday to “announce the emergency withdrawal and transfer” to the U.S. Army “of administrative jurisdiction over approximately 109,651 acres of federal land along the U.S.-Mexico border,” according to a Department of the Interior statement.
“… The Department of the Army requested the withdrawal and transfer of these lands on an emergency basis to allow for the increase in regular patrols by federal personnel, construction of infrastructure to prevent unlawful entry, disrupt foreign terrorist threats to the U.S., and to curb illegal cross-border activities, such as unlawful migration, narcotics trafficking, migrant smuggling, and human trafficking,” the statement said.
Citing information from U.S. officials, the Associated Press reported on Monday that “a long sliver of federal land along the U.S.-Mexico border that President Donald Trump is turning over to the Department of Defense would be controlled by the Army as part of a base, which could allow troops to detain any trespassers, including migrants.”
Sheinbaum said on Wednesday that her government was speaking to its U.S. counterpart about its plans for the border region.
She told reporters that Mexico has also sent a diplomatic note to the United States, in which she said her government acknowledges that what the U.S. does “in its own territory” is “a decision for them,” but also expresses its expectation that U.S. military actions won’t “cross the border” and that there will continue to be “the same collaboration there has been until now in security matters.”
🚨 @SecretaryBurgum transfers administrative jurisdiction over nearly 110,000 acres of federal land along the U.S.-Mexico border to the U.S. Army over the next 3 years:
“We’re up against a real enemy here. We need to make sure the border is secure.” pic.twitter.com/1J4RVqvojF
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 16, 2025
“… The last order that was set out is that the [U.S.] army can occupy certain federal territories [along the border]. We don’t know whether it is to continue building the wall [or] what the objective would be, but in any case what we always ask for is respect and coordination,” Sheinbaum said.
Sheinbaum: US ‘always looking to intervene more’ in fight against Mexican cartels
A week after NBC News reported that the Trump administration is considering carrying out drone strikes on cartels in Mexico, a reporter asked the president whether the United States government has presented any “specific” proposal to her to combat the powerful criminal groups.
“They’re always looking to intervene more,” Sheinbaum responded, explaining that the U.S. government has long had a desire to come into Mexico as part of its efforts to combat organized crime.
Whether Mexico authorizes the U.S. to come into the country to combat cartels “depends very much on the president of the republic who is in office,” she said.
“…[Felipe] Calderón allowed the DEA to carry out operations in our country,” Sheinbaum said, adding that such operations were overseen by U.S. authorities rather than the Mexican government.
“We don’t [allow that]. We say there is collaboration, there is communication, but who operates in Mexico are the institutions of the Mexican state,” she said.
“… And until now there has been good acceptance [of that],” Sheinbaum said, telling reporters that the United States hasn’t done anything in Mexico since she took office without first coming to an agreement with her government.
She said earlier this year that surveillance flights by CIA drones over Mexico only occur after the government of Mexico has requested them in order to obtain information to be able to respond to prevailing “security conditions.”
Trump claims Mexico is ‘very afraid’ of its drug cartels in Fox News interview
On Wednesday, Sheinbaum said that United States security agencies “have permits to operate here, but they have rules.”
“In other words, there are agents from United States agencies who are in Mexico, who need permits to be in Mexico, and their way of operating is regulated by the National Security Law and now also by the constitutional reform we did,” she said.
“They have to be in permanent communication with Mexican authorities [and] send reports,” Sheinbaum added.
Sheinbaum staying grounded after appearance on prestigious Time magazine list
A reporter asked the president about her inclusion on Time magazine’s list of “the 100 most influential people of 2025.”
“There are those who get carried away with these things,” Sheinbaum said before assuring the press corps that isn’t the case with her.
“You always have to keep your feet on the ground,” she said.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies ([email protected])
