President Donald Trump said he would be "ok" with launching strikes in Mexico to target cartels, contradicting Secretary of State Marco Rubio who last week saying such a situation would not take place.
Asked at the Oval Office about potentially "launching strikes in Mexico or putting American troops or personnel" in the country, Trump replied: "that's ok with me."
"Whatever we have to do to stop drugs. There are big problems in Mexico City. If we have to do there what we've done in the waterways... there are almost no drugs coming through the waterways. Isn't it down like 85?" Trump added.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, however, has repeatedly rejected the possibility of such a scenario taking place. Last week she reiterated that a U.S. military in the country is "ruled out," highlighting an "agreement" between the two nations.
Sheinbaum said during her daily press conference that the agreement "guarantees the sovereignty" of Mexico "even if there are some political figures in the country asking" for a U.S. intervention.
The claim comes a day after Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected the possibility of unilaterally sending troops into the country or carrying out a strike, a statement that stood in contrast with a report from a week prior claiming such a scenario could take place.
"We're not going to take unilateral action and send American forces into Mexico. But we can help them with equipment, training, intelligence sharing. They have to ask for it," Rubio told press.
The report in question claimed that the Trump administration is drafting plans to send U.S. troops and intelligence agents into Mexico to target cartels.
Concretely, NBC News detailed that the planning is in its early stages but a final decision has not been made. And, if it would, it wouldn't be imminent. However, the early stages of training for the potential mission have begun.
The troops, the outlet added, would operate under the authority of the U.S. intelligence community, known as Title 50 status.
In another passage of the story, NBC News claimed that U.S. troops in the country would largely resort to drone strikes to target drug labs and top cartel operatives. The use of drones would require U.S. troops to operate them on Mexican soil.
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