Mexican Officials Fear US Military Intervention Pushed by Stephen Miller
Escalating White House pressure demands zero border crossings as tariff threats intensify.
Government authorities, business figures, and influential voices across Mexico are expressing acute alarm over the prospect that White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller could urge US President Donald Trump to sanction direct military operations on Mexican soil. The concern follows an aggressive push by Washington aimed at halting undocumented crossings along the shared frontier.
The diplomatic climate reflects deep unease over how far the White House might go if Mexican enforcement falls short of American ultimatums. Former US diplomat John Feeley observed that Mexican officials hold deep reservations regarding Miller's appointment to helm the White House staff, noting an absence of comfort among counterparts south of the border.
Substantive pressure has mounted behind the scenes, where Miller has spent weeks insisting that Mexican officials reduce unauthorized border entries to zero on a daily basis. Mexican authorities have pushed back against the demand, maintaining that such an outcome is practically impossible given that the international boundary spans نحو ألفي ميل.
كثير من الأشخاص في هذه القوافل هم ممن لا تريدهم بلدانهم، إذ يقولون: أرسلوهم إلى أمريكا. لكنهم لن يُقبلوا! يجب على المكسيك أن توقفهم الآن، وإذا لم تفعل، فستُضاعف الرسوم الجمركية على المكسيك فوراً
The friction escalated as Donald Trump issued a warning on social media regarding a migrant caravan moving toward the United States, stating: «كثير من الأشخاص في هذه القوافل هم ممن لا تريدهم بلدانهم، إذ يقولون: أرسلوهم إلى أمريكا. لكنهم لن يُقبلوا! يجب على المكسيك أن توقفهم الآن، وإذا لم تفعل، فستُضاعف الرسوم الجمركية على المكسيك فوراً».
Meanwhile, columnist Leo Zuckermann wrote in Excelsior describing Miller as dangerous and racist, drawing attention to prior reporting by New York Times journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan that documented Miller's past demands for military strikes against drug cartels inside Mexico.
It remains unresolved whether President Trump will ultimately authorize cross-border military strikes or enforce the threatened tariff increases, just as it is uncertain whether Miller will formally advance past military strike proposals against cartels.
Al-Quds Al-Arabi reported the details.
