In a notable shift in North American diplomatic relations, the United States and Mexico have significantly expanded their cooperation on border security, cartel disruption, and trade under the second term of President Donald Trump. While U.S. ties with Canada have deteriorated, the bilateral partnership between the U.S. and Mexico has deepened, with officials from both countries describing the relationship as the most collaborative it has ever been.

Initially marked by tension—highlighted by Mr. Trump’s early threats of airstrikes, ground troop deployments, and tariffs aimed at Mexico—the relationship has evolved toward greater coordination. Security agencies on both sides have intensified their joint efforts, particularly against drug cartels. Mexican authorities, under President Claudia Sheinbaum, have deployed approximately 10,000 troops along the border and ramped up operations against criminal organizations, often relying on U.S. intelligence support.

Data shared by Mexican officials indicates a substantial reduction in illegal border crossings and drug trafficking. Since the final full month of the Biden administration through recent months, monthly border encounters dropped by 87 percent to roughly 12,200. Fentanyl seizures at the border have fallen by half in the first half of this year compared to the prior year, and Mexican authorities have dismantled 2,700 drug laboratories over two years, surpassing previous government records. Additionally, the Mexican Navy now interdicts most vessels flagged by U.S. intelligence as involved in narcotics trafficking.

Collaboration has also extended to law enforcement training and intelligence sharing. Hundreds of Mexican law enforcement personnel have joined vetted units trained by U.S. agencies to target cartel operations. Both countries have also moved away from earlier U.S. plans for military action on Mexican soil.

Trade between the two nations has increased as well, with goods exchanged totaling nearly half a trillion dollars in the first half of the year, a rise of about 14 percent compared to the previous year. Mexico now represents approximately one-sixth of U.S. trade and maintains some of the lowest tariff rates among major U.S. partners. Discussions are reportedly underway to formalize a new trade agreement, with Mexican officials hopeful for progress before the upcoming U.S. midterm elections.

The relationship has been underpinned by a robust and amicable dialogue between President Trump and President Sheinbaum, who have engaged in over twenty phone conversations. Sheinbaum, fluent in English, communicates Mexico’s efforts in addressing U.S. priorities and maintains a firm stance on protecting Mexican sovereignty, declining direct U.S. intervention on Mexican soil while advancing cooperation.

Despite this pragmatic partnership, tensions have surfaced intermittently. The death of two U.S. Central Intelligence Agency officers in a car accident during a Mexican drug lab operation in April and the U.S. indictment of a sitting Mexican governor accused of cartel ties, who is affiliated with Sheinbaum’s political party Morena, strained relations. Sheinbaum refrained from ordering the governor’s arrest but privately urged him to resign, balancing sovereignty concerns with continued security collaboration.

Within Mexico, opinions differ regarding the trajectory of U.S.-Mexico relations. While many officials praise Sheinbaum’s measured approach—eschewing confrontation in favor of coordination—some Morena party members criticize the Trump administration’s revocation of visas of political figures linked to their movement, seeing these actions as attempts to undermine Mexico’s leftist leadership. Morena senator Gerardo Fernández Noroña described the measures as part of a broader U.S. campaign to discredit the party.

Throughout, Sheinbaum has emphasized “coordination without subordination” in managing relations with the United States, highlighting a nuanced balance between partnership and national autonomy amid complex cross-border challenges.