Mexico condemns US attacks in international waters

By Jorge Antonio Rocha

MEXICO CITY (AA) - Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Thursday criticized Washington’s increasing military operations against drug trafficking in international waters following the latest US strikes.

“Obviously, we do not agree. There are international laws governing how operations must be carried out when facing alleged illegal drug or weapons transportation in international waters. We have made this clear to the government of the United States,” she said.

The Trump administration announced that US forces carried out a coordinated attack against two vessels allegedly used for drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two people.

The attacks add to US military operations supposedly aimed at curbing drug flows in the hemisphere. The attacks have resulted in 37 deaths, most of them in the Caribbean, in international waters.

The strikes have raised concern and condemnation on the international stage, particularly in Latin America.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has criticized Trump, saying the attacks have only killed poor people and constitute a “threat of military invasion in Venezuela and Colombia.”

Since Trump began his second term in January, Sheinbaum has been the target of provocations and threats of military intervention on Mexican territory under the pretext of securing the shared border with the US. It has prompted her to seek measures to protect Mexican sovereignty.

“We even amended the Constitution to strengthen the sense of sovereignty in Article 40, in the face of any interventionism or interference,” she said after addressing US attacks in the Pacific.

One month after Trump’s return to the White House, Sheinbaum and the Mexican Congress fast-tracked constitutional reforms to shield Mexico from foreign operations and agents attempting to conduct missions and investigations without the consent of the government.​​​​​​​