Mexico has sharply condemned the United States military operation that captured Venezuela's president, while quietly moving to ensure it does not become the next target of President Donald Trump's hardline agenda in Latin America.
President Claudia Sheinbaum delivered her strongest rebuke yet of Washington on Monday, rejecting any form of foreign intervention and warning that Latin America's history shows military action brings neither democracy nor stability. Her remarks came after Trump openly floated the idea of United States action inside Mexico, accusing drug cartels of "running" the country.
Behind the scenes, however, Mexican officials are tightening security cooperation with Washington, betting that closer collaboration (not confrontation) is the best way to protect national sovereignty. Mexico hopes stepped-up arrests, extraditions and cartel operations will keep Trump from acting unilaterally.
Meanwhile, many see the Venezuela raid as a regional warning shot. Few in Mexico believe a United States strike is imminent, but the episode has raised the stakes across the region. As one senior Mexican official put it: "If it happens in Colombia or Cuba next, then we'll know who's after that."