Tensions between the United States and Mexico have escalated rapidly as Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced retaliatory measures against sweeping tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump. Sheinbaum’s ‘Plan B’ comes as a direct response to Trump’s decision to levy a 25% tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada, citing concerns over illegal immigration and drug trafficking. The move has ignited a heated exchange between the two leaders, with Sheinbaum accusing the US of fueling cartel violence and undermining Mexico’s national interests.

On February 2, Sheinbaum issued a scathing rebuke of Trump’s policies, categorically rejecting accusations from the White House that her government has been complicit in organized crime. She took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to challenge Washington’s stance, stating, “We categorically reject the slander made by the White House against the Government of Mexico, accusing it of having alliances with criminal organizations. If such an alliance exists anywhere, it is in the armories of the United States that sell high-powered weapons to these criminal groups – as demonstrated by the US Department of Justice itself.”

Her comments were an apparent reference to a recent report by the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), which found that a significant portion of military-grade firearms used by Mexican cartels originate from the United States. The report highlighted how American gun manufacturers have played an indirect role in exacerbating cartel violence, as illicit arms trafficking continues to empower criminal organizations south of the........

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