MEXICO CITY

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum responded on Friday to the US government's call for the total elimination of drug cartels, saying that Washington should first address its own domestic issues related to drug trafficking.

On Feb. 6, the US Department of Justice issued a memo announcing a significant shift in its approach to securing the "total elimination of drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations."

It comes in the wake of US President Donald Trump's tough stance on drug trafficking, which has caused friction with Mexico, whose government has consistently criticized Trump's interventionist attitudes.

"They should start with their own country; of course, we are going to coordinate and collaborate, as I said on Thursday—never subordination or interference; it is coordination," Sheinbaum said during her press conference.

The Trump administration shifted US foreign policy on drug trafficking, moving from soft power to more direct and coercive measures aimed at dismantling drug cartels. These included labeling cartels as terrorist organizations and threatening a 25% tariff on Mexican exports if the country failed to curb fentanyl smuggling, while accusing the Mexican government of collusion with drug trafficking groups.

"They have a lot to do in the United States; how does fentanyl or any other drug, which is not okay to pass illegally and we do our job in our country, but how does it get there? Who brings it across the border? Who operates the distribution of the drug? Who sells the drugs in the US cities that have caused so much tragedy?" she asked.

The president also said that her government would not seek assistance from US security agencies, such as the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), but instead called for joint efforts within their national borders.

"No. Collaboration and coordination with the entire US government is what we are asking for. They have different agencies there, but we are asking for coordination and collaboration. Imagine that I had asked for more DEA presence in our country," said Sheinbaum.

In 2020, Sheinbaum's predecessor and mentor, former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, launched a legal challenge against US agencies, such as the DEA, by passing a bill that limited their presence and autonomy within Mexican territory.

US authorities criticized the move, with the former US ambassador to Mexico blaming the Mexican government for fostering violence and drug trafficking by not cooperating with the US.