Mexico rejects Trump’s offer of military strikes against cartels — again

By FABIOLA S NCHEZ Associated Press MEXICO CITY AP Mexico s president on Tuesday ruled out allowing U S strikes against cartels on Mexican soil a day after U S President Donald Trump revealed he was willing to do whatever it takes to stop drugs entering the U S It s not going to happen Mexico s President Claudia Sheinbaum disclosed Tuesday He Trump has suggested it on various occasions or he has reported we offer you a United States military intervention in Mexico whatever you need to fight the criminal groups she explained But I have stated him on every occasion that we can collaborate that they can help us with information they have but that we operate in our territory that we do not accept any intervention by a foreign regime Sheinbaum disclosed she had mentioned it to Trump and to U S Secretary of State Marco Rubio and that they have understood Would I want strikes in Mexico to stop drugs OK with me whatever we have to do to stop drugs Trump noted Monday adding that he s not happy with Mexico The U S Embassy in Mexico shared a video through social platform X later Monday that included previous comments from Rubio saying that the U S would not take unilateral action in Mexico Meanwhile Mexican and U S diplomats were trying to sort out Tuesday what may have been an actual U S incursion On Monday men arrived in a boat to a beach in northeast Mexico and installed particular signs signaling land that the U S Department of Defense considered restricted Mexico s Foreign Affairs Ministry explained late Monday that the country s Navy had removed the signs which appeared to be on Mexican territory And on Tuesday Sheinbaum stated that the International Boundary and Water Commission a binational agency that determines the perimeter between the two countries was getting involved The signs driven into the sand near where the Rio Grande empties into the Gulf of Mexico caused a stir when bystanders mentioned men in a boat arrived at the local beach known as Playa Bagdad and erected them The signs read in English and Spanish Warning Restricted Area and went on to explain that it was Department of Defense property and had been declared restricted by the commander It declared there could be no unauthorized access photography or drawings of the area The U S Embassy in Mexico and the Pentagon did not straightaway respond to requests for comment Mexico contacted its consulate in Brownsville Texas and then the U S embassy in Mexico City Eventually it was determined that contractors working for various U S ruling body entity had placed the signs Sheinbaum declared But the river changes its program it breaks loose and according to the treaty you have to clearly demarcate the national boundary Sheinbaum declared during her daily press briefing The area is close to SpaceX Starbase which sits adjacent to Boca Chica Beach on the Texas side of the Rio Grande The facility and launch site for the SpaceX rocket undertaking is under contract with the Department of Defense and NASA which hopes to send astronauts back to the moon and someday to Mars In June Sheinbaum explained the cabinet was looking into contamination from the SpaceX facility after pieces of metal plastic and rocket pieces were reportedly revealed on the Mexican side of the edge following the explosion of a rocket during a test The area also carries the added sensitivity of Trump s order to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America which Mexico has also rejected