Sheinbaum defends Mexico’s security record after US slams ‘unacceptable’ lack of progress

Responding to different crisp U.S. disapproval of Mexico’s advancement connected information issues, President Claudia Sheinbaum connected Friday defended her country’s grounds and reiterated her rejection of repeated U.S. offers of subject intervention.

The U.S. authorities had issued a terse connection connected Thursday aft Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed strategies to face shared information threats this week.

🇺🇸#Sheinbaum defiende #estrategia de seguridad tras dichos del #Departamento de #Estado🇺🇸
Nota: https://t.co/et43OlvyCz pic.twitter.com/UgVJ723zVm

— Ventanavermx (@Ventanavermx) January 16, 2026

Acknowledging that advancement connected bilateral information matters is being made, De la Fuente and Rubio — who besides spoke connected Sunday — agreed that important challenges remain.

In a associated connection connected information practice released connected Thursday, the State Department said that the 2 diplomats “reaffirmed the value of the U.S.-Mexico partnership, grounded successful communal respect for sovereignty, portion acknowledging that much indispensable beryllium done to face shared threats.”

But the State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs took a harder enactment successful a societal media station issued aboriginal Thursday:

“The United States made wide that incremental advancement successful facing borderline information challenges is unacceptable.” 

It added that Mexico is being asked to supply “concrete, verifiable outcomes to dismantle narcoterrorist networks and present a existent simplification successful fentanyl trafficking.”

Thursday’s diplomatic speech came 3 days aft Sheinbaum personally told U.S. President Donald Trump that U.S. involution against Mexican cartels is unnecessary. Sheinbaum had requested the dialog aft Trump said helium was prepared to face cause cartels connected the crushed portion again claiming that cartels tally Mexico.

In her Friday greeting effect to the U.S. request for progressively stringent information measures and greater results, Sheinbaum asserted that Mexico has achieved important progress.

“Fentanyl seizures astatine the U.S.-Mexico borderline person declined by 50 percent, according to authoritative U.S. data,” she said, adding that the simplification means larger shipments are being seized connected the Mexican broadside of the border.

The United States made wide that incremental advancement successful facing borderline information challenges is unacceptable. Upcoming bilateral engagements with Mexico volition necessitate concrete, verifiable outcomes to dismantle narcoterrorist networks and present a existent simplification successful fentanyl…

— Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs (@WHAAsstSecty) January 16, 2026

What Sheinbaum thinks the US should do 

While insisting that bilateral practice is based connected communal respect and shared responsibility, Sheinbaum told reporters astatine her Friday greeting property league that it is incumbent upon the U.S. to much aggressively code the illicit travel of weapons into Mexico and to behaviour an intensive run among young radical to forestall cause addiction.

“It ought not beryllium assumed that the contented of cause trafficking tin beryllium solved connected this broadside of the border,” she said. “The depletion situation they person determination indispensable beryllium addressed from a nationalist wellness perspective, with prevention campaigns and education. Because the depletion is there.” 

With regards to arms trafficking, Sheinbaum noted that according to information from the U.S. Department of Justice, 75% of the weapons entering Mexico originate successful the United States.

She added that conscionable this week Mexico’s Defense Ministry seized a shipment of 21 rifles and 30 handguns being smuggled crossed the borderline into Tijuana. 

Sheinbaum besides said that Mexico has requested the enactment of technological surveillance instrumentality to reenforce operations carried retired exclusively by Mexican agencies.

Thursday’s associated connection revealed that the bilateral Security Implementation Group — established past twelvemonth to coordinate actions against drug/arms trafficking, fiscal crimes and substance theft, and first convened successful September 2025 — volition conscionable adjacent connected Jan. 23. It has been tasked with “delivering tangible actions to fortify information practice and meaningful outcomes to antagonistic cartels.” 

At adjacent week’s meeting, the Group volition “follow up connected bilateral initiatives to beforehand information-sharing” and volition reassess already established cross-border information initiatives.

The North American neighbors volition besides clasp a Security Ministerial successful Washington, D.C., successful February, which “will supply an accidental to measure progress, place gaps and acceptable wide expectations for further collaboration.”

With reports from El Financiero, La Jornada and CNN