Marco Rubio insisted that in Mexico there are areas that “are directed and governed by cartels,” but he ruled out a military intervention by the United States.
Mexico City, November 14 (However).- The Secretary of State of the United States (EU), Marco Rubioruled out on Thursday the possibility that Washington have to send armed forces to Mexico to combat the drug cartels. Questioned about this point upon arriving at Hamilton International Airport, in Canada, to participate in the G7 summit, the official said that this scenario would only happen at a request from the President’s Government. Claudia Sheinbaum.
“Well, we are willing to give them all the help they need. Obviously, they don’t want us to take unilateral measures or send US forces to Mexico, but we can help them with equipment, training, intelligence sharing and all kinds of things that we could do if they asked for it. They have to ask for it,” Marco Rubio commented.
The Secretary explained that the administration of President Donald Trump is working closely with the Government of Mexico to stop the flow of fentanyl, for which he recognized the progress of the Mexican authorities in the first 10 months of the year 2025. “The work we are doing with them is historic,” he said.
“We are addressing something that has been there for a long time, so it will take a while to see measurable progress… So we have no complaints about the level of cooperation we have had from Mexico, and the work we are doing with them is historic,” he added.
However, Marco Rubio was also questioned about the murder of the Mayor of Uruapan, Michoacán, Carlos Manzo, on November 1, during the Candle Festival, to which the Secretary pointed out that this “is only one of the many murders perpetrated by the cartels of journalists, politicians, judges.”
“These cartels are very powerful. And one of the things that no one is discussing is the rise of these transnational terrorist organizations. And the fact that they are not driven by an ideology does not mean that they are not terrorists. You do not have to be ideological to be a terrorist. And they are terrorists because they have, in many cases, more weapons, better training, better intelligence and more capabilities than nation-states,” the official commented.
“One of the things that no one is discussing is the rise of these transnational terrorist organizations. And the fact that they are not driven by an ideology does not mean that they are not terrorists. You do not have to be ideological to be a terrorist,” he added about the aforementioned case.
The Secretary of State insisted that “in Mexico there are areas of the country that, frankly, are directed and governed by… these cartels are more powerful than local law enforcement or even national forces. So this is a concern throughout the hemisphere.”
In this sense, Rubio concluded that the issue of cartels is “the most serious endemic problem in the region. These are not just criminal organizations, but terrorist organizations, as they threaten the viability and capabilities of nation states.”