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Mexico's president firmly refuses Trump's proposal for US military strikes against cartels
By Greg Wehner
Published November 18, 2025
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Tuesday rejected the idea of U.S. military strikes against cartels on Mexican soil, responding to President Donald Trump’s comments that he would do "whatever it takes" to stop drugs from entering the U.S.
The Associated Press reported that Sheinbaum said Mexico would not allow foreign military action in its territory and reaffirmed her government’s position against any U.S. intervention.
Trump said Monday he would consider authorizing U.S. strikes inside Mexico to halt the flow of drugs, calling it "OK with me" if that’s what it takes to protect American lives. He cited what he described as major success intercepting narcotics by sea and suggested similar operations could target cartel routes on land, arguing that such action would save "millions of lives" in the U.S.
Sheinbaum pushed back quickly, saying the proposal echoed earlier talks with Trump about potential U.S. intervention. She said Mexico welcomes cooperation on security but that its sovereignty is nonnegotiable, stressing that any joint efforts must respect its authority within its own borders.
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Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected President Donald Trump’s suggestion of possible U.S. military strikes against cartels, saying "it’s not going to happen." (Henry Romero/File Photo/Reuters)
"It’s not going to happen," Sheinbaum told reporters, noting Trump has previously floated U.S. military intervention to combat criminal organizations.
She said she told both Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio that while Mexico welcomes intelligence sharing, it will not permit foreign forces to operate within its borders. Sheinbaum said both U.S. leaders appeared to understand her position.
"We operate in our territory," she said, emphasizing Mexico’s sovereignty.
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U.S. President Donald Trump has targeted drug cartels as part of a strategy to combat the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment on the matter.
The exchange came as officials from both countries worked to clarify reports of a possible U.S. incursion into Mexican territory.
On Monday, individuals arrived by boat on a beach in northeastern Mexico and posted signs marking the area as restricted U.S. Department of Defense property.
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U.S. soldiers take measures at the Mexican border after the Department of Defense signed a new order declaring 110,000 acres of land on the Mexican border as a National Defense Area at the request of President Donald Trump in New Mexico May 8, 2025. (Can Hasasu/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said the Navy removed the signs after determining they were on Mexican soil. Sheinbaum said Tuesday that the International Boundary and Water Commission, the agency that defines the U.S.–Mexico border, had been called in to review the issue.
Witnesses said the signs were posted on Playa Bagdad, near where the Rio Grande flows into the Gulf of America. The signs said "Warning: Restricted Area" in English and Spanish and claimed the land was controlled by the U.S. military.
Sheinbaum later said the signs were installed by contractors working for a U.S. government agency, noting that the shifting riverbed often complicates the exact location of the border.
The disputed area is located near SpaceX’s Starbase launch site in Boca Chica, Texas, which operates under contracts with both NASA and the Pentagon. In June, Sheinbaum said her government was investigating reports of debris from a SpaceX test explosion that landed on the Mexican side of the border.
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The incident also reflects broader tensions between the two countries, including Trump’s earlier directive to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, a move Mexico has strongly opposed.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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