Mexico's president‑elect Claudia Sheinbaum used her daily press briefing on Monday to reject any prospect of United States troops operating on Mexican soil and to dismiss allegations of corruption at the state‑run housing lender Infonavit.
Sovereignty and security
Sheinbaum, who is slated to succeed left‑wing incumbent Andrés Manuel López Obrador in December, said Mexico will handle its security challenges with its own armed forces and intelligence services.
"We will not allow foreign troops to intervene in our internal affairs," she declared, adding that Mexico's sovereignty is "non‑negotiable".According to Infobae, her comments were directed at reports that the United States had floated the idea of deploying troops to assist in the fight against drug‑related violence along the shared border.
Infonavit corruption allegations
The president‑elect also addressed a wave of accusations that Infonavit, the Instituto del Fondo Nacional de la Vivienda para los Trabajadores, was involved in illicit financial practices. Sheinbaum said she has received no credible evidence of wrongdoing and emphasized that the agency's leadership has categorically denied any misconduct.
Infobae noted that the institute’s spokesperson reiterated the claim that internal audits have found no irregularities, and that ongoing investigations by the anti‑corruption prosecutor’s office have not produced charges.
Sheinbaum’s statements arrive at a moment when Mexico is grappling with a surge in homicides linked to drug cartels, a situation that has prompted renewed calls from Washington for greater cooperation. While the United States has offered technical assistance and intelligence sharing, the prospect of a permanent troop presence has been consistently rebuffed by Mexican officials since the start of the current administration.
Political analysts cited by Infobae argue that Sheinbaum’s firm stance underscores a broader effort to distance her incoming government from the security policies of the previous U.S. administrations, while still maintaining a pragmatic partnership on transnational crime.
The president‑elect also warned that any external pressure to compromise Mexico’s constitutional autonomy would be met with "firm resistance". She reiterated her commitment to modernizing the National Guard, a force created by her predecessor, and to expanding social programs aimed at reducing the socioeconomic drivers of violence.
Infonavit, which provides mortgage financing to millions of Mexican workers, remains a cornerstone of the country's housing policy. By publicly clearing the agency of corruption, Sheinbaum aims to preserve confidence in a program that is expected to be a key component of her administration’s social agenda.
Observers note that the dual messages—reaffirming sovereignty while denying corruption—reflect Sheinbaum’s broader strategy of presenting a clean‑slate government focused on internal solutions rather than reliance on foreign intervention.
