Disarming Mexican drug cartels is a priority for President Donald Trump, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson said Wednesday, pointing to the seizure of more than 50,000 firearms in the United States since Trump began his second term.
"For @POTUS @realDonaldTrump, disarming the cartels is a priority," Johnson wrote on X. He said U.S. authorities have also arrested more than 10,000 people linked to cartel, gang and firearms trafficking networks and seized nearly 2.9 million rounds of ammunition and 31,000 illegal explosives.
Johnson framed the figures as evidence of cooperation between Washington and Mexico. "Working together, our two countries are safer," he said.
Para @POTUS @realDonaldTrump, desarmar a los cárteles es una prioridad. Desde el inicio de su segunda Administración, las autoridades estadounidenses se han enfocado en desarmar a cárteles, pandillas y redes de contrabando, deteniendo en los Estados Unidos a más de 10,000… pic.twitter.com/SVLJjxOyRk
— Embajador Ronald Johnson (@USAmbMex) August 19, 2026
The comments address a longstanding Mexican demand that Washington do more to curb the southbound flow of weapons. President Claudia Sheinbaum has repeatedly argued that U.S. efforts to stop drugs entering the country should be accompanied by measures to prevent American firearms from reaching Mexican criminal groups.
In February, Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said about 80% of weapons seized in Mexico originated in the United States, including machine guns, rifles and high-powered ammunition.
Security cooperation has continued despite recent political tensions between the two governments. Earlier this week, Johnson announced that Mexico would gain access to the U.S. drone procurement market, saying bilateral defense cooperation "continues to grow stronger."
Sheinbaum also authorized to attend a Drug Enforcement Administration conference in Argentina after initially opposing his participation.
Those developments came as Sheinbaum's government accused Washington of political interference following the revocation of visas belonging to figures connected to the ruling Morena party, including Andrés Manuel López Beltrán, son of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Similar tensions emerged in June after U.S. prosecutors accused Sinaloa Gov. Rubén Rocha Moya and nine other Mexican officials of collaborating with the Sinaloa Cartel. Mexico declined to arrest or extradite Rocha Moya without what it considers sufficient evidence under Mexican law.
At the time, Johnson urged both governments to prevent those disputes from undermining security cooperation. "The fight against cartels should unite us, not divide us," he said.
The two countries have also established a Bilateral Implementation Group bringing together U.S. and Mexican agencies to address fentanyl trafficking, weapons smuggling, transnational criminal organizations, illicit financing and border security.
Security Meets Commerce on the Rio Grande
Cross-border security negotiations between Washington and Mexico City remain deeply intertwined with high-stakes commercial interests. According to analysis from Reuters, the overarching trilateral trade architecture shields the majority of cross-border commerce—sparing nearly 85 percent of Mexican goods from duty surcharges even amid shifting American tariff policy.
To safeguard this vital commercial pipeline, President Claudia Sheinbaum has deployed a realistic policy framework centered on intensified drug cartel suppression and border management, as noted by AP News. Meanwhile, joint task forces are hammering out details on broader economic integration, aiming to harmonize Washington's trade expectations with Mexico's domestic manufacturing expansion prior to the scheduled USMCA joint review.
