Secretary of State Marco Rubio used his message marking Mexico's Independence Day on Wednesday to emphasize the fight against cartels and "narcoterrorism," saying the United States and Mexico still have "much more work to do together" against criminal organizations.
Rubio congratulated Mexico on 216 years of independence and called it a critical U.S. partner, but centered much of his message on security. He said the two countries had suffered from "transnational organized crime and narcoterrorism, unchecked mass migration, and cartel violence that was allowed to fester in Mexico."
Rubio's statement also said that President Donald Trump had worked with Mexico to "aggressively degrade and dismantle" organizations that he said held the country "hostage to their criminal whims." He described bilateral cooperation as "vital" to dismantling cartels, stopping fentanyl trafficking and confronting "narcoterrorism."
The comments follows a series of more pointed interactions from Rubio about Mexico's fight against organized crime. Speaking at the U.S. Embassy in Quito on September 9, he called Mexico "an even graver challenge" because of the country's size and the power of its cartels.
Rubio added that there were "vast territories in Mexico that are not governed by the state" but controlled by groups Washington designates as narco-terrorist organizations. While saying Mexican authorities had done "more than they've ever done before," he added that it was "still not nearly enough."
"The head of the snake are these cartels in Mexico," Rubio said. He stressed that Washington's "hope and intent" was to confront them in partnership with Mexican authorities, but added: "Eventually, that threat will have to be confronted, one way or the other."
President Claudia Sheinbaum subsequently rejected Rubio's characterization and warned against using Mexico in U.S. domestic political disputes. "Mexico is nobody's piñata. Mexico must be respected," she said.
The two governments have also emphasized different sides of the cross-border security problem. Rubio has pressed Mexico for stronger action against cartels, while Sheinbaum has called on Washington to address U.S. drug demand, weapons trafficking into Mexico and the financial networks supporting organized crime.
