(The Center Square) – Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is proposing constitutional changes to protect her country after President Donald Trump designated Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
“This designation should not be used by the United States as an opportunity to invade our sovereignty,” she said.
Sheinbaum said the U.S. decided to designate the cartels as terrorist groups unilaterally, without consulting Mexico. She said Mexico is committed to fighting drug cartels through cooperation rather than coercion.
Trump designated the cartels as terrorist groups on his second day in office. On Feb. 6, Secretary of State Marco Rubio officially made the designation, which went into effect Thursday when it was published in the Federal Register.
“The Cartels have engaged in a campaign of violence and terror throughout the Western Hemisphere that has not only destabilized countries with significant importance for our national interests but also flooded the United States with deadly drugs, violent criminals, and vicious gangs,” Trump’s order stated. “They functionally control, through a campaign of assassination, terror, rape, and brute force, nearly all illegal traffic across the southern border of the United States. In certain portions of Mexico, they function as quasi-governmental entities, controlling nearly all aspects of society.”
Sheinbaum’s proposed constitutional changes also follow comments from other U.S. officials.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a Fox News interview that “all options will be on the table” to deal with cartels.
Mexico has opposed the designation, arguing the cartels are not motivated by politics but solely by profit.
Sheinbaum said she would also propose a second constitutional change that would enhance penalties for people who engage in arms trafficking. She also said 70% of the illegal weapons seized from criminals in Mexico come from the U.S.
Sheinbaum previously said lawmakers in Mexico are in the process of changing the constitution to declare the production, distribution and marketing of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs a serious crime without the right to bail.
Earlier this month, Sheinbaum reached a temporary trade deal with Trump to prevent 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico after agreeing to strengthen border protections.
Sheinbaum said Mexico will immediately reinforce the border with 10,000 members of the National Guard in a move to stop drug trafficking, an issue that has been a problem for decades.
Sheinbaum also said the U.S. is “committed to working to prevent the trafficking of high-powered weapons to Mexico.” Trump didn’t mention that part of the deal when he temporarily suspended the tariffs for 30 days.