Following the US military intervention in Venezuela that culminated in the capture of Nicolás Maduro last Saturday, US President Donald Trump insisted Thursday night that he was not ruling out similar actions in Mexico, a country that earlier that day announced its homicide rate had fallen to its lowest level in a decade and which has previously been critical of Trump’s suggestion.
“Now we’re going to start attacking the cartels on the ground,” the Republican asserted during an interview on Fox News. “Because the cartels are controlling Mexico,” he added, without offering any evidence of how he reached that conclusion.
Analysts point out that there are indeed limited areas of Mexican territory where the cartels’ strength sometimes surpasses that of under-resourced local police forces, but that does not mean the cartels govern or control Mexico.
“We would love for Mexico” to take action, Trump said, without mentioning that there has been bilateral cooperation on this issue on several occasions in the past year. “They are capable of doing it, but unfortunately, the cartels are very strong in Mexico,” he repeated in the interview.
The cartels, Trump asserted, “are killing 250,000 or 300,000 [people] in our country every year,” without explaining how he arrived at that figure. He has mentioned the number in the past, claiming that he believes it is the number of people who die from overdoses in the United States.
But overdose deaths in that country actually number around 70,000, according to official figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And analysts have said that attributing all overdose deaths solely to drug cartels ignores the fact that many cases are due to fentanyl-laced pills obtained within the United States, which government agencies link to China, not Mexico.
Furthermore, the Border Patrol estimates that over 90% of those apprehended for drug dealing at the border are U.S. citizens.
This is not the first time Trump has suggested he would like to take direct military action against drug trafficking groups operating in Mexico, which he has designated as “terrorist” organizations, such as the Sinaloa Cartel.
Several times last year, including in August, October, and November, he said he “would not rule out” using special forces to act against drug traffickers, even if it meant attempting to arrest them on Mexican soil.
Officials even stated in November that discussions had taken place at the White House regarding a potential mission to send U.S. troops and intelligence agents to Mexico.
The Mexican government of Claudia Sheinbaum has repeatedly rejected Trump’s statements on this matter, asserting that Mexico’s sovereignty must be respected.
At the moment, Mexican authorities had not commented on Trump’s most recent statements this Thursday, nor had it been possible to contact the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment.
Source: telemundo
