As he did with Maduro before that operation, President Donald Trump has pressured Sheinbaum and her government to crack down on cartels in order to stop the flow of illicit drugs into the U.S., raising the prospect of military action if she fails to do so to his satisfaction.
The CIA has increased its collaboration with Mexico as part of that effort. Sheinbaum said last year that the U.S. was conducting drone surveillance flights in the country at her request, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe allotted new resources for counter-cartel work in the U.S.-Mexico border region in early 2025.
What is behind Sheinbaum’s reaction?
According to Duncan Wood, a fellow at the Wilson Center, Sheinbaum’s response is much more about internal “political theater” and her left-wing Morena party than about Donald Trump.
Direct military action by the U.S. against Mexican cartels, which Trump has threatened, would be a “watershed moment,” he added. Sheinbaum has had to perform a balancing act between warding off the threat from Trump and her own domestic considerations.
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