A group of 72 Democratic congressmen urged the president donald trump put aside the threats of a possible military action in Mexicowarning that any unilateral operation without the consent of the Mexican government and without authorization from Congress would have “disastrous” consequences for security, the economy and bilateral cooperation.
The letter was sent this Friday to the Secretary of State, Marco Rubioby the congressman Greg Stantonalong with the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Gregory Meeksand the top Democrat on the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, Joaquin Castro.
Trump’s warning against cartels
The petition was sent a day after trump declared in an interview with Sean Hannity in Fox News that his government will begin “attack the cartels” by land, amid repeated statements in which he has suggested that The United States could take military action inside Mexico.
“Any unilateral military action by the United States inside Mexico without Mexico’s consent would destroy trust, “It would dismantle cooperation with Mexican authorities and make it difficult to keep drugs out of the communities we represent,” the legislators wrote in the letter addressed to the head of US diplomacy.
The congressmen also express their opposition to the “unauthorized use of military force” in Venezuela and they reject what they describe as Trump’s false claims about his supposed legal ability to order military strikes without congressional approval.
Mexico, Mexico’s main trading partner
The signatories recalled that Mexico is the main trading partner of the United States and a key ally in security matters. They stressed that under the presidency of Claudia Sheinbaum, the Mexican government has intensified bilateral cooperation, which they consider incompatible with any action that violates its sovereignty.
The economic repercussions of a conflict would be significant, they warned.
In addition, they highlighted that US foreign direct investment in Mexico exceeded $14.5 billion dollars last year, more than one million jobs in the United States depend on cross-border trade and more than five million are linked to commercial exchange with Mexico.
Legislators highlight extraditions of Mexican drug traffickers
In matters of securitylawmakers highlighted recent advances, including mass extraditions of alleged criminal leadersbig fentanyl seizures and legal reforms to prohibit the production and distribution of that drug and its chemical precursors.
Although they recognize that Mexico still faces challenges regarding the rule of law and organized crimethe congressmen pointed out that the bilateral cooperation has produced concrete results and that unilateral military action would put at risk decades of joint work against transnational criminal organizations.
“At a time when we need to build trust and collaborate with our allies in the face of global competition, we urge the Administration not to undertake unilateral and drastic actions that could violate Mexico’s sovereignty, disrupt trade or undermine the security progress we have achieved together,” the letter stated.
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