Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced Thursday that she will propose constitutional reforms to safeguard the country’s sovereignty following the US government’s decision to designate six Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
The designation, issued under an executive order by President Donald Trump on January 20, was officially published in the US Federal Register on Thursday. The move, typically applied to politically motivated terrorist groups, is intended to increase pressure on criminal organizations. However, Sheinbaum has raised concerns that it could lead to US military intervention.
“The Mexican people will not accept under any circumstances interventions, interference or any other act from abroad that could be harmful to the integrity, independence and sovereignty of the nation,” Sheinbaum said, per the Associated Press. She also stated that any foreign involvement in investigations or prosecutions would require Mexico’s authorization and cooperation.
In addition to opposing the US designations, Sheinbaum has warned of potential legal action against American gun manufacturers and retailers, arguing that firearms trafficked from the US fuel cartel violence.
“The U.S. Department of Justice has recognized that 74 percent of arms from criminal incidents are from the U.S. So, where does that leave the arms dealers? The lawyers are looking into this, they might be accomplices. This is one of the subjects we are looking at,” Sheinbaum said Friday.
A report from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) indicated that nearly 70 percent of firearms recovered in Mexico in 2023 were traced back to the US. In 2022, Mexico sued several American gun stores, including five in Arizona, accusing them of facilitating arms trafficking to criminal organizations.
Sheinbaum’s reforms would reinforce existing restrictions on foreign agents operating in Mexico. Under her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, commonly known as AMLO, laws were enacted to limit the autonomy of US agencies working in Mexico, requiring them to coordinate with Mexican authorities. Sheinbaum seeks to codify those restrictions in the country's constitution.
“What we want to make clear in the face of this designation is that we do not negotiate sovereignty,” she said. “This cannot be an opportunity for the United States to invade our sovereignty.”
