Mexico and the United States on Wednesday strengthened their security cooperation with the establishment of a high-level group that will seek to coordinate joint actions, in a context marked by Washington’s offensive against drug cartels and the U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean.
During the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum made it clear that her government will maintain cooperation in security, but stressed that it will never allow foreign military presence in national territory.
Marco Rubio meets in Mexico with Claudia Sheinbaum
During the cordial meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, we agreed on the border security and law enforcement cooperation program, after several months of work. It is based on four axes:
Reciprocity; respect for sovereignty… pic.twitter.com/kVwBWN4WIb
– Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (@Claudiashein) September 3, 2025
Sheinbaum recalled that the framework agreed with Washington in February is based on “mutual trust, shared responsibility, respect for respective sovereignties and cooperation without subordination.”
During the meeting at the National Palace, the Mexican President presented the achievements of her security strategy.
The meeting was also attended by the Secretary of the Interior, Rosa Icela Rodríguez, and the Mexican Foreign Minister, Juan Ramón De la Fuente.
No one cooperates more with the U.S. than Mexico.
Through our joint collaboration with President @Claudiashein, the U.S. and Mexico have strengthened border security, taken action to dismantle the cartels, made progress towards sharing water resources, and promoted new economic opportunities. Today we discussed these issues and… pic.twitter.com/8OmsbRQODR
– Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) September 3, 2025
Later, in a joint press conference between Rubio and De la Fuente, the U.S. official said that joint operations against drug trafficking “have always existed.
But now they are looking to “expand that cooperation” into something “more structured”.
“The idea is to systematize this cooperation and hold meetings on a regular basis,” he said.
He also thanked the Government of Mexico for its support.
“There is no government at this moment that is cooperating with us more in the fight against crime than the Government of Mexico, the Government of President (Claudia) Sheinbaum and we thank her very much and there is much left to do together,” he said.
Rubio noted that Sheinbaum has discussed these issues with U.S. President Donald Trump and that “much has been accomplished.”
The head of U.S. diplomacy recognized with “respect and admiration” the work done in Mexico to confront the “narco-terrorist groups that threaten, not simply Mexico and the United States, they threaten the peace and stability of the world”.
“More and better results”
Buzzy
For his part, the head of the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Buzzy, Juan Ramón de la Fuente, assured that with this new binational mechanism “more and better results” will be seen.
De la Fuente stressed that the operations will benefit both peoples and that Rubio’s meeting with the Mexican president “has served to mark a more defined route” in terms of cooperation against drug trafficking.
He also expressed confidence that the high-level group “will be able to report progress in the coming months”.
Rubio also addressed the trafficking of arms entering Mexico from his country and acknowledged progress made by the Sheinbaum Administration.
He referred to “issues that have not been addressed for a long time”, such as the arrest and surrender of 59 high-level criminals wanted by the United States.
In addition to the fight against drug trafficking, the presidents discussed trade issues, such as the Mexican surplus, U.S. tariffs on agricultural products and the passage of Chinese exports through Mexico, as well as immigration issues related to border control and the situation of Mexicans in the U.S.
The diplomatic rapprochement comes at a time when Washington has stepped up its military actions against organized crime in Latin America and when Mexico seeks to maintain a balance between strategic cooperation and the defense of its national sovereignty.
There is no government at this moment that is cooperating with us more in the fight against crime than the Government of Mexico
Marco Rubio
With information from Agencia Efe
