Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum proposed constitutional reforms to safeguard Mexico’s sovereignty after the Trump administration designated six drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, prompting concerns about potential U.S. military action across the border.
“The Mexican people will not accept under any circumstances interventions, interference or any other act from abroad that could be harmful to the integrity, independence and sovereignty of the nation,” she said, per Fox News.
Sheinbaum seeks to enshrine current limits on the operations of foreign agents into the constitution and establish harsher penalties for gun trafficking. “What we want to make clear in the face of this designation is that we do not negotiate sovereignty,” she said.
Sheinbaum said Mexico was not consulted when the Trump administration designated the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
Historically, terrorist designations against criminal syndicates have sparked debates over national sovereignty and whether such moves could justify extended actions by the U.S. government abroad. In this case, observers have noted that tensions between the two neighbors could escalate if Washington believes it now has broader authority to operate against any cartel activity in Mexican territory.
The new designation, which goes into effect on Thursday, identifies a total of six Mexican organizations in addition to prior targets, widening a list that encompasses Sinaloa, Jalisco, Zetas, Gulf Cartels, Cartel Unidos, and “La Nueva Familia Michoacana.” Other criminal entities — including the Venezuelan group Tren de Aragua and the Salvadoran gang Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13 — were also named.
While some of these cartels have long been notorious for drug trafficking and violence, the terrorist label opens the door to further U.S. legal action against individuals and networks that aid or abet their operations.
Sheinbaum’s predecessor, Former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, previously signed into law limits on foreign agents in Mexico, requiring approval from the Mexican government for every action taken. Sheinbaum plans to strengthen these rules by cementing them into the Mexican Constitution.
In her announcement, Sheinbaum cited the need to crack down on arms trafficking, an issue Mexican and American experts have linked to the strength of cartels operating within the country. The new proposed reform applies severe penalties to foreigners involved in the assembling, smuggling, and distribution of guns.
Sheinbaum’s party holds majorities in both chambers of Congress and has already passed several constitutional reforms.
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Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum proposed constitutional reforms to safeguard Mexico’s sovereignty after the Trump administration designated six drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, prompting concerns about potential U.S. military action across the border.
“The Mexican people will not accept under any circumstances interventions, interference or any other act from abroad that could be harmful to the integrity, independence and sovereignty of the nation,” she said, per Fox News.
Sheinbaum seeks to enshrine current limits on the operations of foreign agents into the constitution and establish harsher penalties for gun trafficking. “What we want to make clear in the face of this designation is that we do not negotiate sovereignty,” she said.
Sheinbaum said Mexico was not consulted when the Trump administration designated the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
Historically, terrorist designations against criminal syndicates have sparked debates over national sovereignty and whether such moves could justify extended actions by the U.S. government abroad. In this case, observers have noted that tensions between the two neighbors could escalate if Washington believes it now has broader authority to operate against any cartel activity in Mexican territory.
The new designation, which goes into effect on Thursday, identifies a total of six Mexican organizations in addition to prior targets, widening a list that encompasses Sinaloa, Jalisco, Zetas, Gulf Cartels, Cartel Unidos, and “La Nueva Familia Michoacana.” Other criminal entities — including the Venezuelan group Tren de Aragua and the Salvadoran gang Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13 — were also named.
While some of these cartels have long been notorious for drug trafficking and violence, the terrorist label opens the door to further U.S. legal action against individuals and networks that aid or abet their operations.
Sheinbaum’s predecessor, Former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, previously signed into law limits on foreign agents in Mexico, requiring approval from the Mexican government for every action taken. Sheinbaum plans to strengthen these rules by cementing them into the Mexican Constitution.
In her announcement, Sheinbaum cited the need to crack down on arms trafficking, an issue Mexican and American experts have linked to the strength of cartels operating within the country. The new proposed reform applies severe penalties to foreigners involved in the assembling, smuggling, and distribution of guns.
Sheinbaum’s party holds majorities in both chambers of Congress and has already passed several constitutional reforms.
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