Washington, October 16 (IANS) US President Donald Trump claimed that drug cartels effectively controlled Mexico and said his administration was intensifying operations against trafficking networks, even as he acknowledged that the Mexican government was unhappy with his assessment.
Speaking at a White House Rose Garden lunch honouring first responders, Trump said the United States had achieved major reductions in maritime drug trafficking and was now expanding its efforts against criminal networks operating across the southern border.
"We're working with Mexico. But unfortunately, the cartels run Mexico. I tell that to the president of Mexico. She's not happy. She's a great woman, wonderful woman, but the cartels run Mexico," Trump said.
Trump said his administration had initially concentrated on stopping drugs entering the United States by sea because maritime trafficking presented particular enforcement challenges.
He claimed that the volume of drugs entering through maritime routes had fallen by 97 per cent, although he did not identify the period or data used for the comparison.
"We wanted to do the sea and the water first because the water, that's harder to do," he said.
Trump described the use of missiles against suspected drug-trafficking vessels, saying the operations had sharply reduced the willingness of traffickers to attempt maritime crossings.
"Those missiles come and they hit those boats dead center, and you feel terribly for the people," he said.
The President defended the strikes by arguing that drugs transported aboard such vessels caused widespread deaths and devastated American families.
He also joked that the operations had discouraged recreational boating and fishing because people feared being mistaken for traffickers.
Trump said his administration was preparing to intensify efforts against trafficking routes on land, particularly those associated with Mexican cartels.
"We know all the paths, we know where all the bad guys are, the cartels. We know where they live and we're hitting them hard, but it's going to be harder as we go along," he said.
He suggested that cartel members had been given an opportunity to surrender, but provided no details of the warning or its implementation.
"They know they have a certain period of time to essentially give up. Mexico should be doing it, but honestly, they're not capable of doing it," Trump said.
The President separately claimed that the flow of fentanyl across the southern border had declined by 67 per cent.
He credited Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol personnel with strengthening border security and confronting trafficking organisations.
Trump described the border as the most secure in American history and claimed that illegal crossings had been brought down dramatically.
He also praised National Border Patrol Council President Paul Perez, who addressed the gathering and credited Trump's leadership with improving national security.
Perez said the administration had provided unprecedented support to first responders and border enforcement personnel.
The remarks came as the Trump administration continued to place border security, illegal immigration and narcotics trafficking at the centre of its domestic security agenda.
The United States and Mexico share an extensive land border and maintain close economic and security ties. Cooperation against organised crime and drug trafficking has long involved law enforcement coordination, intelligence sharing and efforts to disrupt criminal organisations operating across national boundaries.
