Mexico sends diplomatic note to US over possible new military base near border

Mexico City, April 17 (IANS) Mexico has delivered a diplomatic note to the US after reports emerged that Washington is considering establishing a new military base near the shared border to deter irregular migration, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said.

Speaking at her daily press briefing on Wednesday, Sheinbaum acknowledged that the decision is a sovereign matter for the US on its own territory, but emphasised that it must not impact Mexico or cross into its jurisdiction, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We respect their autonomy, but we expect the same coordination and cooperation on security that we've had so far," she said.

A reporter asked the Mexican President about the US' reported plan to establish a military base on its southern border with Mexico.

The question came after US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum travelled to New Mexico on Tuesday to "announce the emergency withdrawal and transfer" to the US Army "of administrative jurisdiction over nearly 109,651 acres of federal land along the US-Mexico border," according to an Interior Department statement.

"… The Department of the Army requested the withdrawal and transfer of these lands on an emergency basis to allow for the increase in regular patrols by federal personnel, construction of infrastructure to prevent unlawful entry, disrupt foreign terrorist threats to the US, and to curb illegal cross-border activities, such as unlawful migration, narcotics trafficking, migrant smuggling, and human trafficking," the statement said.

While the specific purpose of the proposed US military deployment remains unclear, Sheinbaum stressed that Mexico is focused on addressing the root causes of migration and expects any action to respect human rights and avoid harming border communities.

The President noted that similar US troop deployments have occurred in the past, and reiterated that Mexico remains in regular communication with Washington to prevent any disruption to bilateral relations.

According to US media, US President Donald Trump sent a memorandum to four federal department heads on April 11 instructing them to allow the military to use and take jurisdiction of federal land along the US-Mexico border, and the Trump administration is evaluating the establishment of a military base along the border.

--IANS

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