President Sheinbaum Says No Way To US Strikes On Cartels In Mexico

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has again sought to stand up to President Donald Trump, on Tuesday repeating her rejection of any possibility of US military intervention against cartels on sovereign Mexican soil.

Trump has recently floated openness toward the possibility, and also Colombia, in exchanges with reporters related to the military build-up off Venezuela. “It’s not going to happen,” Sheinbaum said, according to The Associated Press. “He (Trump) has suggested it on various occasions, or he has said, ‘we offer you a United States military intervention in Mexico, whatever you need to fight the criminal groups.’”

Trump had been asked asked on Monday if he would seek the Mexican government’s permission before launching any potential strikes and responded that he “wouldn’t answer that question.” He added that he has been “speaking” with Mexico and that they “know how I stand.”

That exchange had started as follows:

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump answered a question about potentially striking Mexico or sending American troops or other personnel into the country by saying it would be “OK with me.”

“Would I launch strikes in Mexico to stop drugs? OK with me, whatever we have to do to stop drugs. Mexico is — look, I looked at Mexico City over the weekend. There’s some big problems over there,” Trump said after he was asked whether he was considering such action.

The military campaign ongoing in the southern Caribbean and off Latin America is called “Operation Southern Spear,” per a prior announcement from Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth.

“We’ve stopped the waterways, but we know every route. We know every route, we know the addresses of every drug lord,” Trump had additionally explained.

“We know their address, we know their front door. We know everything about every one of them. They’re killing our people. That’s like a war. Would I do it? I’d be proud to.”

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected on Tuesday a potential U.S. military intervention in Mexico after President Donald Trump suggested the previous day he would support more aggressive measures against drug cartels, including ground strikes.

Sheinbaum stated that Trump… pic.twitter.com/mSwThnzjB0

— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 18, 2025

The question of US military action south of the border is not a completely ‘new’ one; however, Operation Southern Spear marks the first time in history that the Pentagon has parked this many US naval assets, including a carrier group, just off Latin America. It’s making leaders in the region very nervous, to say the least.