On Thursday, several U.S. congressmen called for military action over drug gangs in Mexico; Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador rejected the remarks, calling them dangers to Mexican sovereignty.
“We aren’t willing to allow any foreign government to interfere in our region, much less that a country’s armed forces interfere,” Lopez Obrador stated during a routine news conference.
Republican politicians in Washington increased their calls to maintain a stricter approach against organized crime following the kidnapping of 4 Americans, 2 of whom were killed, in a northern border state.
On Wednesday, Texas Republican Dan Crenshaw tweeted a message in Spanish questioning, Lopez Obrador, as to why he disagrees with a plan the congressman put up in January to use military force against drug gangs in Mexico.
During the press conference, Lopez Obrador stated that it was “not only foolish but an offensive to the citizens of Mexico,” saying that his country “does not take instructions from anyone.”
In an interview with Fox News on Monday, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham claimed it was time to “set Mexico on notice” and called for legislation designating some Mexican drug gangs as “foreign terrorist groups.”
The tragic kidnappings and revenge may make it more challenging to advance sensitive efforts to increase cooperation between the United States and Mexico on migration and drug smuggling, especially the ultra-lethal fentanyl.
Lopez Obrador announced that he would launch a campaign to inform Mexican Americans in the US about the Republican-led initiative.
