Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio spoke by phone and reaffirmed the U.S.-Mexico partnership. The U.S. State Department said incremental progress on border security is "unacceptable." Future bilateral talks, the statement said, must yield concrete, verifiable actions to dismantle narcoterrorist networks and cut fentanyl trafficking to protect communities on both sides of the border.
US Says Incremental Border Progress With Mexico 'Unacceptable' and Demands Concrete Action on Fentanyl
The border wall between the United States and Mexico, after Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she ruled out a U.S. military intervention to combat drug cartels, following a "good conversation" on Monday with U.S. President Donald Trump on security and drug trafficking, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, January 12, 2026. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez
Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente spoke by phone on Thursday with U.S. Senator Marco Rubio to discuss security and bilateral cooperation, a joint statement from both governments said.
The statement said the pair reaffirmed the importance of the U.S.-Mexico partnership. Posting about the call on X, the State Department's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs said the United States "made clear that incremental progress in facing border security challenges is unacceptable."
"Upcoming bilateral engagements with Mexico will require concrete, verifiable outcomes to dismantle narcoterrorist networks and deliver a real reduction in fentanyl trafficking to protect communities on both sides of the border."
The declaration signals a push for measurable steps and accountability in upcoming talks, with an emphasis on disrupting organized criminal networks and reducing the flow of fentanyl that has driven overdose and public-safety concerns across the region. Both governments did not provide a detailed timeline in the joint statement.
(Reporting by Brendan O'Boyle; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
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