Hundreds March In Mexico To Protest Against Potential U.S. Strikes In The Country

Hundreds of people marched in Mexico Ccity to protest against the possibility that the Trump administration will conduct strikes inside the country, according to a new report.

EFE detailed that signs spotted in the march read "respect to Mexico's sovereignty" and "gringos out of Latin America." It began at the Angel de la Independencia and ended outside the Foreign Ministry.

Luis Flores, a student interviewed by the outlet, demanded the release of Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro, saying he is the legitimate ruler of the South American country. He claimed that the capture of Maduro was a "starting point" for the U.S. and if the rest of the region does nothing to stop the country it will be dominated by "American bombs."

Tensions between the countries have risen over the past days since Trump threatened in an interview to "start hitting land with regards to the cartels." "Cartels are running Mexico, it's very sad to watch," Trump said in an interview with Fox News last week.

The remark was quickly dismissed by Mexican president Sheinbaum, who recently told Bloomberg "I don't believe in an invasion; I don't think it's something they take seriously." She went on to say that Trump has repeatedly requested U.S. military forces be allowed into Mexico, and she has always rejected the possibility.

However, a recent report from The New York Times noted that Mexican officials have grown increasingly alarmed about potentially having its territory targeted by the U.S. following the operation that ended with the capture of Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro.

An official told the outlet that the operation made them think "oh boy, this is more serious than we thought, and we are on the list of who could be next, and worse, we have been warned."

Elsewhere in the report, officials noted that they have had to rethink their criticism of the U.S. operation that captured Maduro due to the possibility that it could help trigger Trump.

After she latest threat, Sheinbaum instructed her Foreign Minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente to get in touch with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who then highlighted the Trump administration's need for "tangible results" when countering criminal organizations.

State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement that the two held a call to "discuss the need for stronger cooperation to dismantle Mexico's violent narcoterrorists networks and stop the trafficking of fentanyl and weapons."

"Secretary Rubio reaffirmed the United States' commitment to stopping narcoterrorism and stressed the need for tangible results to protect our homeland and hemisphere," the statement added.

Moreover, Sheinbaum and Trump had a phone call on Monday, with the former saying the chat was "very good."

"We have a very good conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump. We discussed different topics, including security with regards to our sovereignties, the decrease in drug-trafficking, trade and investment. Collaboration and cooperation in a context of mutual respect always yield results," Sheinbaum said in a social media publication.