The United States ambassador to Mexico, Ronald Johnson, called to leave the political discussion out of the fight against drug trafficking that both countries face, a day after the Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum, accused Washington of interference and questioned its legitimate interest in helping the country.

"The fight against cartels must unite us, not divide us. People on both sides of our border want to live in security and peace. They deserve to live free of the intimidation, corruption and fear that cartels generate," Johnson said in a message on the X social network.

“Every moment we spend turning this shared security challenge into a political discussion is a missed opportunity to strengthen our cooperation and protect the people we serve,” he added.

On Sunday, Claudia Sheinbaum pointed out, during the presentation of a national report two years after her electoral victory, that Mexico does not "accept interference" and questioned the "legitimate interest" of the United States in really helping the country, which is why she called on the population to defend the homeland.

"Who decides in Mexico: the foreign agencies or the people? Who decides in Mexico: the large economic interests or the people? We are going to defend the sovereignty and independence of Mexico, we are going to defend the transformation," said the president during a massive event at the Monument to the Revolution, in Mexico City.

Sheinbaum criticized the recent and growing pressure from the United States on Mexico in matters of extradition and organized crime, as occurred with the northern neighbor's accusation of 10 Mexican officials, including the governor on leave of the state of Sinaloa Rubén Rocha Moya.

"Is it really a legitimate, genuine interest in helping Mexico? Is it really a legitimate interest in fighting organized crime or perhaps we are seeing how sectors of the extreme right are using our country to position themselves towards their 2026 elections?" he questioned.

“They are not rhetorical questions: Mexico is no one's piñata,” he stated after attacking a possible US intervention in the federal elections that will be held in Mexico in 2027.

He also assured that since April 19, when the death of two US agents was made public, "without official accreditation", in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, an "offensive" campaign on social networks by the international right towards his government was "intensified." EFE