Sheinbaum rejects Trump’s offer of U.S. military action against cartels

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum ruled out possible U.S. military intervention in the Latin American country on Tuesday, saying Mexico did not want it in its territory.

"It's not going to happen," Sheinbaum said in her daily morning press conference, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump said he supports aggressive action against drug cartels in Mexico and Colombia.

During her daily press conference at the National Palace, Sheinbaum stated that Trump had offered military assistance in their phone conversations to combat criminal organisations, but she consistently told him that Mexico operates within its own territory and does not accept intervention from any foreign government.

The exchange occurred as the United States intensified actions against drug cartels outside U.S. territory, which has included approximately twenty known attacks on drug trafficking vessels in international waters in the Caribbean and Pacific since early September.

When asked at a White House event on Monday whether he supported ground strikes in Mexico to stop drug trafficking, Trump said "I'm fine with it, whatever we have to do to stop the drugs."

Men arrived by boat at Playa Bagdad in Tamaulipas state and erected signs declaring the area restricted Department of Defense property on Monday, according to local reports and Associated Press.

Mexico’s navy removed the signs, which appeared to be on Mexican soil, according to the Foreign Affairs Ministry. Sheinbaum said the International Boundary and Water Commission was reviewing the incident.

A Pentagon comment shared by the U.S. Embassy in Mexico on Tuesday confirmed that contractors had placed the signs to mark “National Defense Area III,” but said shifts in water depth and topography had altered perceptions of the precise boundary. The statement said contractors would coordinate with relevant agencies to avoid future confusion according to reports.

The site sits near SpaceX Starbase on the Texas side of the Rio Grande. The launch facility, used under contract with the Department of Defense and NASA, has already drawn scrutiny in Mexico. In June, Sheinbaum said officials were investigating debris reportedly found on Mexican territory after a rocket test explosion.

The area has become politically sensitive following Trump’s order to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” a move Mexico has also rejected.

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