The Trump administration is considering the use of U.S. military force against Latin American drug cartels designated as global terrorist organizations, senior U.S. officials confirmed Friday.
In February, President Donald Trump’s administration labeled Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, and other major drug gangs as global terrorist entities, expanding Washington’s options to target them. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday the designation enables the government to employ “other elements of American power” — including the Department of Defense and intelligence agencies — to dismantle cartel operations.
“It allows us to now target what they’re operating and… use the military if we have an opportunity to do it,” Rubio said, urging that such groups be treated as armed terrorist organizations rather than merely drug traffickers.
According to The New York Times, Trump has secretly signed a directive authorizing military force against the cartels. While a U.S. official confirmed the directive, they stressed that military action is not imminent and the specifics of potential operations remain unclear. Another official said the U.S. Navy could be tasked with drug interdiction missions at sea, alongside targeted raids and expanded airborne surveillance of cartel activity.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum insisted Friday that U.S. troops would not enter Mexican territory, saying her government had been informed of an order but that it “had nothing to do” with operations on Mexican soil. She has repeatedly rejected Trump’s offers to send U.S. forces to help combat drug trafficking, calling unilateral action a violation of Mexico’s sovereignty.
Legal experts have warned such operations could raise serious domestic and international law issues. Brian Finucane of the International Crisis Group wrote that U.S. military action in Mexico “would almost certainly be unlawful” and could be seen as an act of war.
Tensions between Washington and Mexico have flared over past U.S. efforts to prosecute cartel leaders and disrupt cross-border trafficking. The latest move comes amid new friction, with Sheinbaum questioning U.S. claims linking Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to the Sinaloa Cartel and urging Washington to share any evidence.
Written By Rodney Mbua
