Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Monday condemned what she described as U.S. intervention in Venezuela and rejected the idea of U.S. troops entering Mexico, reaffirming her government’s commitment to national sovereignty.
“We categorically reject interventions in the internal affairs of other countries,” Sheinbaum said at a news conference in Mexico City, according to an official transcript. of the speech released by her office.
“The history of Latin America is clear and powerful, intervention has never brought democracy, it has never produced well-being or lasting stability. Only people can build their own future, determine their path, exercise sovereignty over their natural resources and freely determine their form of government,” she said.
The US military carried out an operation in Caracas on Saturday, removing former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores from their camp.
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Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum answers questions during her morning press conference at the Palacio Nacional in Mexico City on January 5, 2026. (Raquel Cunha/Reuters)
Maduro and Flores were taken aboard the USS Iwo Jima and flown to New York to face federal charges. Their arraignment took place Monday in Manhattan.
Maduro is charged with four counts: a conspiracy of narco-terrorism, a conspiracy of importing cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and a conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
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His wife is charged with three counts: conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores are seen in handcuffs after landing on a helipad in Manhattan, escorted by heavily armed federal agents as they board an armored car en route to a federal courthouse in Manhattan on January 5, 2026. (TheImageDirect.com)
Sheinbaum said that after the arrest of the Venezuelan leader and his wife, and amid warnings from President Donald Trump that Mexico needs to “get its act together,” Mexican sovereignty and self-determination remain non-negotiable.
Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he thinks Sheinbaum is a “great person” but that the cartels are “running Mexico.”
“We’re going to have to do something. We would like Mexico to do it, they are capable of doing it, but unfortunately the cartels in Mexico are very strong,” Trump said.
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Sheinbaum said her country is working with the United States to help combat drug trafficking, organized crime and the flow of fentanyl.
President Donald Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, on Saturday, January 3, 2026, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth listen. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
“I don’t believe in an invasion. I don’t even think they’re taking it very seriously,” Sheinbaum told reporters in Spanish when asked about a possible U.S. intervention. Reuters translation of her comments.
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She said Trump repeatedly insisted during their phone calls that the U.S. military be allowed to enter Mexico.
“We very firmly said no – first, because we are defending our sovereignty, and second, because it is not necessary,” Sheinbaum told reporters.
