Sheinbaum says she rejected Trump's offer to send troops to Mexico

May 3 (Reuters) - Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Saturday that U.S. President Donald Trump had proposed sending U.S. troops to Mexico to combat drug trafficking, but said she had rejected that offer because "sovereignty is not for sale."

Sheinbaum's comments were in response to questions about a Wall Street Journal report published May 2 that Trump was pressuring Mexico to allow deeper U.S. military involvement against drug cartels to combat trafficking across the shared border.

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"In one of the calls, (Trump) said, 'How can we help you fight drug trafficking? I propose that the U.S. Army come in to help you,'" said Sheinbaum, who was speaking at a university event near the capital on Saturday.

"And you know what I told him? No, President Trump, the territory is sacrosanct, sovereignty is sacrosanct, sovereignty is not for sale, sovereignty is loved and defended," the president said, adding that while the two countries can collaborate, "we will never accept the presence of the United States military in our territory."

The White House did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Trump has said publicly that the U.S. would take unilateral military action if Mexico failed to dismantle drug cartels. The two leaders have had several calls in recent months to discuss security issues, trade and immigration.

Sheinbaum went on to explain that during one of the calls she had asked Trump for help to prevent weapons from entering Mexico from the United States that fuel violence and trafficking.

"We can collaborate, we can work together, but you can do it in your territory, we can do it in ours," Sheinbaum said.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that tension between the two leaders rose towards the end of an April 16 telephone conversation when Trump pushed to have U.S. armed forces take a leading role in tackling Mexican drug gangs that produce and smuggle fentanyl to the U.S.

In February, the U.S. designated the Sinaloa Cartel and other Mexican drug cartels as global terrorist organizations, which some analysts have warned could be a stepping stone to such military action.

Airborne surveillance of Mexican drug cartels by the U.S. military has also increased, as part of efforts to collect intelligence to determine how to best counter their activities.

Sheinbaum has since proposed a constitutional reform aimed at adding protections to Mexico's national sovereignty.

Reporting by Lucinda Elliott; Editing by Diane Craft

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