Sheinbaum Slams Reported US Plan to Hit Cartels From the Sky
Mexican President Sheinbaum rejects reported US plans for drone strikes on cartels in Mexico, calling it intervention. She stresses sovereignty, asserting Mexico coordinates with the US but isn't subordinate, and says strikes don't solve root causes of crime.
Get outta here with that! Mexico's President, Claudia Sheinbaum, put Washington on notice, flatly rejecting any wild ideas about the U.S. sending drones across the border to blast drug cartels.
Responding to whispers that the US might consider unleashing its eye-in-the-sky firepower on Mexican criminals, Sheinbaum laid down the law, saying "No way, José!" to that kind of intervention.
"We have always said, we do not agree with any intervention or interference," the president stated, drawing a clear line in the sand. "We coordinate, we do not subordinate ourselves."
You got that? Mexico City says they'll talk about fighting the bad guys together, but don't think for a second you can just fly your killer robots into their backyard.
Sheinbaum, channeling the frustration of many Mexicans dealing with cartel violence, argued that zapping targets from afar doesn't solve squat. The real solution, she insisted, is good old-fashioned police work: focusing on the causes of crime and making sure arrests actually lead to convictions, tackling the "zero impunity" problem head-on.
"These types of actions solve nothing," she declared, adding that the "ideal is to work permanently on attending to the causes and the detentions of delinquents, as has been done up to now."
Where's this drone talk coming from? Sources point a finger at an NBC News report suggesting that former President Donald Trump's administration had mulled over launching drone strikes against the drug gangs terrorizing Mexico and flooding the US with narcotics. That explosive topic was apparently even chewed over Tuesday in Mexico's National Palace.
While slamming the door shut on the idea, Sheinbaum also expressed doubt it would actually happen, citing "much dialogue" currently underway between Mexican and US authorities on how to cooperate against the organized crime menace. "We reject any of these actions, and we also don't believe they will happen because there is much dialogue," she added, before firmly stating: "In Mexico no, that no."
She even threw the Mexican constitution into the mix, reminding everyone that any such foreign funny business would need the nod from the Mexican Senate and that Mexico won't stand for any outside action – drone strikes, election meddling, you name it – that tramples on its sovereignty or violates its territory, airspace, or waters.
The bottom line from south of the border? Keep your drones on your side of the fence. Mexico says it’ll handle its own business, thank you very much.
