On Thursday, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador issued a warning to Republicans, stating that he may initiate an “information campaign” in the U.S. urging Mexicans and Hispanics not to vote for them unless U.S. lawmakers alter their approach towards Mexico. This threat, seemingly an act of election interference by the country’s leader, was made in response to U.S. demands for action against cartels that are smuggling fentanyl across the border.
He said, “Starting today we are going to start an information campaign for Mexicans who live and work in the United States and for all Hispanics to inform them of what we are doing in Mexico and how this initiative by the Republicans, in addition to being irresponsible, is an offense against the people of Mexico, a lack of respect for our independence, our sovereignty.”
Mexican President Obrador thanked President Biden for his open border policies.
This sums up President Biden’s border stance.
He has no intention of fixing the problem.
#BidenBorderCrisis pic.twitter.com/JNyFJSqqtN— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) March 8, 2023
“And if they do not change their attitude and think that they are going to use Mexico for their propaganda, electoral, and political purposes, we are going to call for them not to vote for that party, because it is interventionist, inhumane, hypocritical, and corrupt.”
2 of the 4 Americans kidnapped by the cartels in Mexico were murdered, and we still haven’t declared the cartels a military target. It’s time we authorize military force against them.
Are you listening, @lopezobrador_?
We would love for you to be a partner. Help us help you.— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) March 7, 2023
In response to Republican lawmakers’ calls for action against the ongoing smuggling of fentanyl into the U.S., including suggestions of military intervention, Lopez Obrador issued a statement. On Wednesday, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina urged for the United States to unleash its “fury and might” against Mexican drug cartels.
In statements made on Thursday, Lopez Obrador denied Mexico’s production of fentanyl and attempted to shift responsibility onto the United States.
According to him, “Fentanyl is not produced here, and it is not consumed here. Why don’t they [the United States] address their problem of social decay?”
Fox News reported:
“We’re going to unleash the fury and might of the United States against these cartels,” Graham said. “We’re going to destroy their business model and their lifestyle because our national security and the security of the United States as a whole depends on us taking decisive action.”
Graham said that he intends to introduce legislation that would designate Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) and authorize the U.S. to use military force to go into Mexico and destroy the drug networks.
“Not to invade Mexico, not to shoot Mexican airplanes down, but to destroy drug labs that are poisoning Americans,” he said.
“We’d like to help you, but we’re not going to sit on the sidelines anymore as a nation and watch our neighbor become a narco-state that kills more Americans in a single year than we lost in Vietnam,” he said.
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is the current President of Mexico, having taken office on December 1, 2018. He is a left-wing politician who has previously served as the Mayor of Mexico City from 2000 to 2005. He ran for president unsuccessfully in both 2006 and 2012 before winning the presidency in 2018. His presidency has been marked by efforts to combat corruption, reduce violence, and promote social welfare programs.