Labeling Mexico as a ‘foreign adversary’ of the United States is unfounded, Sheinbaum pointed out.

On Thursday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected remarks made by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who labeled Mexico a foreign adversary for allegedly allowing drug cartels to traffic fentanyl into the United States with impunity.

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“What the Justice Department secretary said has no basis… She is not very well-informed,” the Mexican president said.

Earlier, during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Wednesday, Bondi included Mexico in a list of foreign adversaries alongside Iran, Russia and China.

“We will not be intimidated, and we will keep America safe, thanks to the leadership of President Trump. Not only from Iran, but from Russia, China, and from Mexico. From any foreign adversary, whether they’re trying to kill us physically, or by overdosing our children with drugs,” Bondi said.

Bondi even suggested that Mexico is governed by drug cartels, including the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which she said are responsible for bringing fentanyl into the United States.

In response, Sheinbaum noted that Mexico and the United States are close to signing a new security agreement. She highlighted that fentanyl crossings have declined in recent months and pointed to a decrease in homicide rates in Mexico.

“The reality is that there is cooperation and coordination without subordination. We’re making progress. Mexico’s security strategy is working — with daily challenges, yes — but it’s working,” she said.

Former President Donald Trump and his administration have accused Mexico of being a hub for fentanyl production, a synthetic drug that caused more than 48,000 overdose deaths in the United States in 2024, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Since February, under “Operation Northern Border,” an initiative Sheinbaum agreed on with Trump to avoid widespread 25% tariffs, Mexican authorities have arrested 4,619 people linked to cross-border criminal activities and have seized more than 40 tons of drugs, including 1.14 million fentanyl pills.

Also on Thursday, the Mexican president asked the U.S. government to provide evidence supporting accusations against CI Banco, Intercam and Vector Casa de Bolsa — three Mexican financial institutions that the Trump administration has linked to alleged illicit activities, including money laundering.

“There is no evidence, just statements. But there is no proof of where the money laundering is happening. So what is our position? If there is proof, we act. There is no impunity — no matter who it is. But if there is no proof, then action cannot be taken, just as with any other crime,” Sheinbaum said.

Her comments came a day after the U.S. Treasury Department placed the three financial entities on a watchlist for alleged money laundering and ties to organized crime.

Sheinbaum recalled that several weeks ago, Mexico’s Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF) and the Finance Ministry received information from U.S. authorities about the investigation into the two banks and the brokerage firm.

However, she said the information was “very general” and lacked details about why the institutions were suspected of money laundering. As a result, Mexican authorities requested further clarification.

“The bulk of the information related to transfers made through these financial institutions — from Chinese companies to Mexican companies. The Chinese firms, which were even mentioned in yesterday’s statement, are legally registered businesses,” Sheinbaum clarified.

She emphasized that Mexico maintains US$139 billion in trade with China and that the supposed illicit transfers are, in fact, “thousands of daily transactions between Chinese and Mexican companies.”

Sheinbaum said the United States has not provided additional information, but the National Banking and Securities Commission and the UIF nonetheless launched an investigation. They found “administrative violations,” which were sanctioned, and concluded that the transactions with Chinese firms “have nothing to do with money laundering.”

This is the first action the U.S. Treasury Department has taken under the new fentanyl sanctions law and the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which expands the department’s authority to combat drug cartel-related money laundering.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE – Mexico Solidarity Media

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