International Desk (EFE).- Mexico and the United States announced Wednesday the creation of a new high-level implementation group to strengthen bilateral security cooperation, with a focus on fighting drug cartels, tackling illegal immigration, and curbing arms trafficking.
The announcement came after a meeting in Mexico City between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente, and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
De la Fuente said the group will meet regularly “to follow up on mutual commitments and the actions taken within our own countries.”
According to a joint statement, it will coordinate measures to dismantle drug cartels, reinforce border security, shut down clandestine tunnels, track illicit financial flows, and curb the trafficking of fentanyl, other drugs, and firearms.
“This cooperation is based on principles of reciprocity, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, shared but differentiated responsibility, and mutual trust,” the Mexican foreign minister stressed.
The Sheinbaum administration has highlighted these principles since February, after United States President Donald Trump ordered the US military to target criminal groups linked to drug trafficking, sparking speculation about potential intervention on Mexican soil.
De la Fuente insisted the objective is to “work together to dismantle transnational organized crime through reinforced cooperation between our national security institutions, law enforcement, and judicial authorities.”
Rubio praises Mexico’s role
The US Secretary of State underscored that “no government at this moment is cooperating more with us in the fight against crime than the Government of Mexico, the Government of President Sheinbaum, and we are very grateful.”
He praised Mexico for addressing long-pending issues, including the extradition of 59 high-level criminals wanted in the United States on drug charges.
He noted that Sheinbaum had personally discussed the matter with Trump, and that “a lot has been achieved.”
“With much respect and admiration for the work already done here in Mexico to confront these narco-terrorist groups that threaten not just Mexico and the US, but global peace and stability,” Rubio said.
Still, the US diplomat acknowledged “there is much left to do” on both sides, citing the flow of American weapons to Mexican cartels as a persistent problem.
He also pointed to Trump’s domestic focus on crime, noting federal agencies and the National Guard had been deployed in Washington, DC, and could be used elsewhere “if necessary.”
New framework amid regional tensions
De la Fuente argued that the new framework could produce “more and better results” in the coming months and stressed that the initiative will directly benefit “both peoples.”
He said Wednesday’s trilateral discussions between Sheinbaum, Rubio, and himself had helped “mark a more defined route” in the anti-narcotics strategy.
Rubio added that the aim was to systematize cooperation, expand resources, and hold “regular meetings,” including joint training sessions between Mexican and US security forces.
The US visit comes as Washington steps up its global fight against drug trafficking.
On Tuesday, the US military destroyed a vessel in the Caribbean allegedly operated by the Tren de Aragua gang, which operates all along Latin America, and carried narcotics.
Venezuelan authorities condemned the operation as an attempt to destabilize President Nicolás Maduro’s government. EFE
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