The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, avoided this Tuesday entering into a confrontation with the White House deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, who stated that the Mexican political, judicial and legal systems do not work because the cartels control the territory, and asked the US to “look at itself” on the issue of drug consumption.
“As we have said many times, the United States has to look at itself, particularly on the issue of drug consumption and the distribution and laundering of money in the United States related to drug trafficking,” the president said during her press conference.
Regarding Miller's statements, the Mexican leader ruled out arguing with the US official and stressed that the Mexican Government responds only to the will of the citizens.
"No, no, we are not going to enter into a debate. There is good coordination and you know that we, in Mexico, the people govern, no one else governs, the people govern. And we are a government of the people. And we fight and work every day for security and peace in our country. And there are results," he stated.
Sheinbaum insisted that he will not respond personally to Miller's statements and attributed part of the political discourse in the United States to the electoral context of that country.
"So, I'm not going to get into a particular debate with him. Remember that there are elections in November in the United States. We have always said that Mexico should not be the defining element of his campaign because it has to be the United States itself," he said.
The president's statements occur after Miller assured, during the ceremony of the Border Defense Medal at the War Department, that the Mexican cartels have turned Mexico into a country where "the justice system, the political system and the legal system do not work" because criminal organizations control the territory and eliminate those who hinder their activities.
The US official also compared the Mexican cartels to groups such as the Islamic State (ISIS) and Al Qaeda, recalling that Washington considers them foreign terrorist organizations.
Furthermore, he stated that these organizations not only introduce narcotics into the United States, but also seek to destabilize its democracy and the rule of law.
Faced with this, Sheinbaum reiterated that both countries maintain cooperation mechanisms, although each acts within their respective jurisdictions.
"We work in our country and we coordinate on many issues. We have a lot of coordination, including security," he expressed.
The president emphasized that the bilateral strategy must be based on respect for the sovereignty of both countries and concluded that “each person operates in their territory.”
The statements occur in a context of cooperation between Mexico and the United States to combat drug, weapon and human trafficking, although differences persist regarding the diagnosis of the phenomenon of drug trafficking and the responsibility of each country in combating it, an issue that usually gains relevance in the American political debate during electoral processes. EFE
