Mexico maintains a security deployment along the border with the United States that even surpasses that of U.S. agencies themselves in combating drug trafficking and protecting migrants, stated Juan Ramón Flores Gutiérrez, who served as chief of staff at the Mexican Embassy in Washington.
When analyzing the bilateral relationship, the doctor in Education highlighted in an interview that the effort made by the Mexican Government in terms of security has been “immense,” particularly through the National Guard and other agencies deployed in the border area.
“We Mexicans have more personnel protecting the borders for all these security and migrant protection matters than the Americans themselves,” he stated.
He explained that the presence of Mexican personnel has among its objectives preventing the passage of drugs and addressing the migration situation, within a strategy that also requires coordination with U.S. institutions.
“Mexico’s effort has been immense. There are more National Guard personnel and Mexican security agencies at the border protecting against drug trafficking and protecting migrants,” compared with their U.S. counterparts, he stated.
Flores Gutiérrez added that another indicator of Mexico’s commitment has been the transfer to the United States of people linked to criminal activities under different legal frameworks.
Despite this, he acknowledged that for Washington, the results are still insufficient due, among other factors, to the domestic pressure the United States faces because of deaths related to overdoses.
“The relationship is difficult by nature, but we can say that things have gone well for us and that we have to continue deepening solutions rather than problems,” he said.
Weapons and Drugs Require Cooperation from Both Sides
The former Mexican Embassy official considered that bilateral cooperation should be deepened through the exchange of intelligence, information, and technical capabilities to address both drug trafficking toward the United States and the flow of weapons.
“We have to focus on solving the problems, that is, how we can make the two national governments cooperate better through technical capabilities, through intelligence, through cross-referenced information,” he stated.
He noted that this coordination should focus on preventing problems such as narcotics, illicit drugs, and weapons from continuing to worsen.
In this context, he also highlighted the work carried out by Mexican federal security institutions, including the Secretariat of Security, the Secretariat of National Defense, and the Navy, in coordination with their U.S. counterparts.
Flores Gutiérrez considered that Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch has achieved positive results in relations with U.S. agencies, as have the Mexican Armed Forces.
Sovereignty and Tranquility
Regarding U.S. participation in security matters within Mexico, Flores Gutiérrez stated that cooperation must move forward without losing sight of the sovereignty of both countries.
He considered it necessary to find mechanisms to improve cooperation in intelligence and security, but under the principle that Mexico and the United States are separate nations.
“We must aspire to normalize a situation of tranquility at the borders and in both countries in terms of security,” he stated.
He acknowledged that the bilateral relationship has historically been complex due to the economic, cultural, and historical differences between the two nations.
“It is not easy to coexist between two countries that have economies, cultures, and histories that are asymmetric and so profoundly different,” he stated.
Therefore, he proposed that any deepening of cooperation should take place with respect for Mexican sovereignty and without allowing actions by the United States to override national decisions.
Complex Relationship, but Mexico Has Moved Forward
Flores Gutiérrez also highlighted President Claudia Sheinbaum’s handling of the bilateral relationship with the government of Donald Trump, in a scenario characterized by differences over security, migration, and other political matters.
“Mexico’s president has been very successful in managing the relationship with the United States with a very cool head,” he stated.
He considered that this approach has allowed Mexico to navigate a complex scenario and avoid greater confrontations with Washington.
He noted that Mexico’s insistence on maintaining technical, political, and diplomatic cooperation in security has been one of the relevant elements of the current relationship.
He stated that it would be naive to expect a simple relationship between the two countries given the weight of the economic, political, and security interests involved.
Deeply Integrated Economies
Regarding the economy, Juan Ramón Flores highlighted the level of integration between both countries and considered that Mexico and the United States practically function as a single economy in certain industrial sectors.
“Our economies are more intertwined than any other in the world. We are a single economy for many things, for example, in the automotive sector,” he stated.
He explained that numerous products cross the border several times during their manufacturing processes before reaching the final consumer, reflecting shared production chains.
Flores Gutiérrez also highlighted that Mexico is among the United States’ main trading partners and that annual trade between both countries reaches hundreds of billions of dollars.
“We also represent a gear in their industry, and they represent one in ours,” he stated.
He added that the trade balance is favorable to Mexico, one of the issues that is constantly part of economic discussions between both nations and of debates surrounding the USMCA.
Given this integration, he maintained that both governments should prioritize solutions and preserve economic and industrial cooperation, while always maintaining a relationship of respect between two sovereign countries.
“We can have, and we do have in the United States, a magnificent trading partner, a magnificent industrial partner,” he concluded.
Source: puentelibre
