United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio once again praised Mexico’s cooperation with his country in the fight against criminal groups and drug traffickers, but always with a slogan indicating that even more could be done. “The government of Mexico is doing more than ever in its history in terms of security. There is still a lot to do, but we have cooperation,” Rubio said in Spanish this Friday at a press conference in Washington, DC. During his speech, he stressed the need to join forces with Latin American countries to confront criminal groups, which he called “the most paramount threat in the region.”
Rubio praised the cooperation of several countries in the region, such as El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica and Panama, in their operations in the Pacific and the Caribbean Sea. However, he particularly mentioned Mexico and the government of Claudia Sheinbaum, which he recognizes is making unprecedented efforts. “On the issue of Venezuela, we do not have that, we have an illegitimate regime that not only does not cooperate with the United States, but also openly cooperates with criminal elements,” he assured. In his response, Rubio avoided evading the journalist’s initial question, which asked him to comment on the tankers carrying 80,000 barrels of fuel that Mexico sent to Cuba in the midst of the island’s energy crisis, as reported by the EFE agency, citing data from the University of Texas Energy Institute.
Regarding the security strategy of the United States, Rubio stressed that his country, Canada and Mexico face the same threats. “It is Mexican mayors who are assassinated in public squares, it is Mexican institutions which are violated. They recognize it, that is why they decided to ally with us,” he declared.
The secretary of state has rejected the possibility of making deals with drug traffickers, including Mexican drug cartels, as part of his plan to combat criminal organizations. “We cannot reach a peace agreement with these people, in the same way that we cannot reach an agreement with the mafia,” he stressed. Rubio reiterated that criminal activity at the borders, which he called “terrorist,” is of national interest to the Trump administration, so his administration has “the right to use any element of national power to defend the interests of the United States.”
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