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The nation's President Sheinbaum has categorically denied allegations that the United States is planning to send troops into the country to confront powerful cartels, emphasizing that she has consistently refused such offers from Donald Trump.

“It’s not going to happen,” the President stated during her daily morning press briefing on Tuesday. “We do not agree to any process of interference or external interference.”

Background on the Allegations

Sheinbaum's remarks follow a report citing present and past US officials that the Trump administration has started planning for a operation to deploy American military personnel and agents into Mexico.

This information suggested that although the operation was not immediate and no final decision had been reached, the early stages of training had already begun along with talks about the scope of the deployment.

Additionally, the account mentioned that American forces would function under the jurisdiction of the US intelligence community, and that personnel from the Central Intelligence Agency would also participate.

The Nation's Response

But the Mexican leader was adamant that her nation had “no information” about such a planned incursion, although she acknowledged that in conversations with Trump, he had offered to dispatch troops and additional resources to confront criminal groups.

“I’ve always said my gratitude, Mr. Trump. But no, Mexico is a free, sovereign and autonomous country,” Sheinbaum declared.

Past Collaboration and Current Tensions

The two nations have historically worked together in addressing cartels, with the US at times dispatching CIA, military and DEA operatives to assist the country's initiatives to combat criminal networks.

But the incursion of US troops into the territory to directly confront the drug lords, particularly without the nation's agreement, would be an unprecedented step that would likely fracture an already tenuous bilateral relationship.

Recent Actions and Understandings

The Trump administration has made confronting criminal organizations a key element of its foreign policy: in last winter, Washington classified multiple drug cartels as terrorist groups.

Additionally, it has initiated a series of attacks against alleged narco vessels, most recently targeting vessels in the eastern Pacific that killed multiple suspects in recent weeks.

Although Mexico rescued a survivor from the strike, Sheinbaum criticized the strikes and instructed officials from her government to address them with the US ambassador to Mexico.

On that day, Sheinbaum also noted that Mexico had reached a security agreement with the United States that was negotiated over several months.

“We will proceed within this cooperative structure, which has very clear principles … which respects our independence and our territoriality.”

The President's Stance on Anti-Narcotics Strategy

The national leader has also seemed less enthusiastic on militarised anti-narcotics tactics than her predecessors: on Monday, she ruled out any modifications to the nation's security strategy despite the murder of a local official in a Mexican state.

“There are demands for militarization and war, as happened with the war on drugs,” she commented. “That didn’t work.”