Mexico rejects Trump’s plea for U.S. forces to take on cartels

President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday she rejected an offer from President Trump to use the U.S. military against the country’s drug cartels, as Mexican security officials grow concerned about potential American demands in the wake of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro's ouster.

- José De Córdoba, Steve Fisher & Santiago Pérez

The U/S. administration has stepped up pressure on Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum after the ouster of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

(AFP)

It is a proposal that Trump has made before, Sheinbaum said. But Trump has raised the stakes since Maduro's capture signaling his displeasure with the security situation in Mexico. In a television interview last week, he said the U.S. is “going to start hitting land with regard to the cartels,” saying the groups run Mexico.

Sheinbaum said she told Trump that U.S. participation wasn't necessary. “We are very clear on the defense of our territory,” she said at a news conference, recounting her conversation with Trump.

Trump had a “great conversation with President Sheinbaum” and discussed trade and stopping the flow of illicit drugs, said White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly. “The President's primary goal is stopping the scourge of narcoterrorism that is destroying communities across the country and he is willing to use any tool at his disposal to save American lives,” Kelly said.

The Monday morning call between Trump and Sheinbaum underlined growing alarm among Mexican security officials about the intentions of the U.S.

High-level officials have held a series of private meetings since Maduro was deposed where they discussed the possibility of untenable demands from Trump beyond U.S. military action, including the potential arrests of politicians from Sheinbaum’s party the U.S. believes have cartel ties, said people familiar with the discussions.