Staff Reports
A brewing showdown between President Trump and Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum is getting spicy, but not in the way that the Democrats would like it to be. Trump’s latest tariff threat has managed to motivate Mexico to beef up its northern border defenses, ostensibly in a bid to combat the flood of drugs heading into the U.S. But, like any good deal, there’s a catch. Mexico gets a promise from the U.S. to work on stopping the flow of guns into their territory, which Sheinbaum has painted as a huge win for her nation.
For years, American officials have bemoaned the “iron river” of drugs streaming north from Mexico. Meanwhile, Mexicans have been whining about their own version of the iron river—this one filled with American-made firearms that are ending up in the hands of every lowlife from street gangs to cartels. It’s estimated that anywhere from 200,000 to 500,000 guns are sold in the U.S. each year specifically for this illicit purpose. Even recent reports show that over 17,000 guns submitted by Mexican authorities for tracing in 2023 were traced back to American sources. It’s quite a mess.
Now, here’s the kicker: as part of this newly minted agreement, Mexico pledges to deploy 10,000 National Guard troops to its northern border, attempting to put a lid on drug trafficking. In exchange, the U.S. will supposedly tighten its own gun laws—who knew the U.S. would take border security cues from Mexico? This is all unfolding while Trump is playing the go-between and managing to delay his touted tariffs on Mexican goods, but don’t expect the liberal media to give him credit for any of this.
Sheinbaum is making all the right noises, claiming that the U.S. is going to work harder to prevent firearms from flowing southward. Naturally, she’s using her social media platform to assure her supporters, because, as the left likes to teach, if it’s on social media, it must be true. But before anyone gets too excited, one must remember that Mexico has stricter gun laws than the U.S., and yet it still grapples with an overwhelming rate of gun violence. The irony is as thick as the bureaucracy in Washington.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum blames U.S. for arming cartelshttps://t.co/FXmXzsZkwB pic.twitter.com/4NfZSBsDmU
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) February 4, 2025
In an interesting twist, Sheinbaum took a shot at the Trump administration after they suggested that the Mexican government is tied to the cartels—an accusation she strongly deflected. Instead, she pointed fingers back at U.S. arms dealers, claiming they are the real culprits fueling the violence. It certainly makes for good sound bites, albeit not much in terms of accountability. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives even weighed in, claiming they could cut the flow of illegal guns with more funding. Imagine that—throwing more taxpayer dollars at a problem instead of tackling root causes. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
So, while it’s all “smiles and handshakes” on social media for the two countries, this deal is nothing short of a complicated dance. Mexico gets a momentary respite from tariffs, the U.S. agrees to tighten its grip on firearm sales, and Trump racks up more points for punishing bad behavior at the southern border. Whether this leads to lasting progress or just a temporary band-aid remains to be seen. But hey, at least they can keep pretending the narrative fits their political agendas while the rest of us can only laugh at the circus that is international diplomacy in 2023.
