According to reporting from NBC News, six “current and former U.S. military, law enforcement and intelligence officials with knowledge of the matter” have alleged that discussions are underway between White House, Defense Department and intelligence officials within the Trump Administration which have included the prospect of the U.S. Military launching unilateral covert-strikes without the knowledge or approval of the Mexican government, and indeed in defiance of public statements by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Following the initial report by NBC, Sheinbaum held a press conference and told reporters, "We reject any form of intervention or interference. That’s been very clear, Mexico coordinates and collaborates, but does not subordinate itself. There is no interference, nor will there be," she said, per a translated transcript provided by the Mexican Embassy to the United States.
🚨#LaMañanera 📰 Claudia Sheinbaum rechazó cualquier intento de EE.UU. por atacar a cárteles con drones en México.
— Azucena Uresti (@azucenau) April 8, 2025
Dijo que esas acciones “no resolverían nada” y que la clave está en atender las causas y detener a líderes criminales. pic.twitter.com/vMQMr79TgQ
"While this idea hasn’t been formally proposed, we’ve made it clear that it wouldn’t address the root of the issue. What truly works is ongoing attention to root causes, arrests driven by intelligence and investigation, coordination, and zero tolerance for impunity. We categorically reject any such actions, and we don’t believe they will happen. There is a strong, ongoing dialogue on security and many other matters."
One of the anonymous sources, said to be a senior Drug Enforcement Administration official during the Biden Administration, told NBC that under President Donald Trump, U.S. authorities have pressured Mexico to assume a much tougher stance than his Democrat predecessor after what the source described as “handwringing” under former President Joe Biden. The source told NBC that he believes fear of economic reprisals from Trump could move Mexico to accept military intervention.
“Politics aside, Trump is not f------ around with this stuff,” he told the outlet.
Should such a unilateral military intervention play out, it would represent the first such action undertaken by a U.S. government since the occupation of Veracruz during the Mexican Revolution in 1914.
The move would also align with the remilitarization of the Mexican border in California, Arizona, and New Mexico, announced last week, which resembles the U.S. Army's Mexican Expedition in 1916-17. Also known as the 'Pancho Villa Expedition,' under President Woodrow Wilson, the border became fortified, and 10,000 U.S. Troops entered Mexico to hunt down outlaw revolutionary Pancho Villa following his attack on American border towns.
