U.S. President Donald Trump used a bill-signing ceremony on Wednesday to criticize Mexico once again, repeating his claim that drug cartels have “very strong control over Mexico.”
“Mexican authorities are petrified to show up at their office, to go to work because cartels have a tremendous grip [on the country and its politicians],” he said.
On Thursday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum calmly but firmly rejected Trump’s statements as “imprecise” and declared that her administration is not afraid of the drug cartels.
“We have taken firm action against the cartels,” she said, “and, unlike previous administrations, we have not allowed organized crime to infiltrate our security institutions.”
Sheinbaum said U.S. customs officials have corroborated the progress Mexico is making, including a 50% reduction in fentanyl trafficking on Mexico’s northern border.
Additionally, Sheinbaum instructed the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Security Ministry to prepare a report on all the actions Mexico has implemented in the fight against drug trafficking and the regulation of precursor chemicals. The document will be sent to the U.S. government and members of the U.S. Congress.
Trump made his comments during the signing ceremony for his Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act, a priority for the U.S. president, who has cited the illicit flow of fentanyl as one of the reasons for his tariff threats against Canada, Mexico and China.
CNN obtained a White House document on the legislation which says: “Under the HALT Fentanyl Act, anyone who possesses, imports, distributes, or manufactures any illicit FRS (fentanyl-related substances) will be subject to criminal prosecution in the same manner as any other Schedule I controlled substance.”
On Saturday, Trump announced the imposition of 30% tariffs on Mexican imports as of Aug. 1, asserting that Mexico is not doing enough to prevent the region from becoming a “Narco-Trafficking Playground.”
Mexico reacted quickly to Trump’s tariff announcement saying it was already taking steps to address the matter.
On Monday, Sheinbaum responded by saying the U.S. must “do its part” with regard to the fentanyl crisis, particularly recognizing the demand resulting from the rise in addiction among youth in the U.S.
“As long as they fail to recognize that they have a serious public health problem, this will never be solved,” she said.
The newspaper La Jornada noted that Trump placed the blame for the opioid crisis exclusively on Mexico and the drug cartels, ignoring the role that addiction plays.
Indeed, the first guest invited to speak at the bill-signing ceremony was a man whose son overdosed on fentanyl after getting addicted to opioids, not by illicit drugs but via drugs prescribed by a hospital.
The Mexican president also said the U.S. must do more with regard to the pursuit of suspects on its side of the border and the flow of weapons into Mexico.
“We have long insisted that matters related to controlling the flow of weapons from the U.S. into Mexico must be addressed,” she said, adding that more must be done with regard to the arrest of those involved in drug trafficking in the United States.
With reports from El Economista, La Jornada, Reforma and CNN
