President Trump is turning up the heat on Mexico, demanding a dramatic escalation in the war on drugs: putting American boots on the ground to hunt down cartel chemists.
The White House is aggressively pushing the Mexican government to green–light joint military operations, U.S. officials told the New York Times.
Their goal would be to allow U.S. forces to cross the border and directly dismantle the laboratories churning out fentanyl before it reaches American streets.
This idea was reportedly shot down on arrival early last year, White House officials said. However, it came back up after US forces completed Operation Absolute Resolve and captured President Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela.
The new strategy would require embedding American troops—specifically Special Ops or C.I.A. agents—directly within Mexican units to execute joint raids on drug production facilities, according to American officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to the Times.
Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum has rejected US plans to interfere militarily in Mexico by sending troops across the border, but has said that the two countries could partner to fight the drug cartels in other ways.
After speaking with Trump, Sheinbaum said in a news conference Monday morning that the President ‘generally insists on the participation of U.S. forces’ but that ‘we always say that is not necessary.’
The two agreed to continue working together.
Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum has rejected US plans to interfere militarily in Mexico by sending troops across the border
The war on drugs continues as President Trump turns up the heat on Mexico, demanding a dramatic escalation in the war on drugs: putting American boots on the ground to hunt down cartel chemists
US Army soldiers guard the construction of a secondary border wall in Santa Teresa, New Mexico
The White Houseis aggressively pushing the Mexican government to green–light joint military operations, U.S. officials said to the New York Times
Fentanyl is now officially classified by the White House as a ‘weapon of mass destruction’
Last week, Trump went on Fox News Channel, explaining the need for U.S. involvement in Mexico.
‘We’ve knocked out 97 percent of the drugs coming in by water, and we are going to start now hitting land, with regard to the cartels,’ he explained.
Mexico has countered the U.S. demand for joint combat missions, suggesting both nations simply swap more intelligence.
Sources say Mexico wants the U.S. to be restricted to command centers rather than the battlefield. Currently, American advisers are already embedded in Mexican military posts, feeding data to local troops.
A clandestine C.I.A. program—first started under Biden—uses high–tech drones to sniff out hidden labs from the clouds. This mission has exploded in scale since Trump took office.
The Defense Department said in a statement that it ‘stands ready to execute the orders of the commander–in chief at any time and in any place.’
Fentanyl is now officially classified by the White House as a ‘weapon of mass destruction.’
In a policy shift last year, the U.S. also designated the ruthless cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
Experts say fentanyl labs are tough to locate and destroy. US officials explain that the administration is still creating tools to find the drug.
The labs produce fewer chemicals than a meth lab, which are reportedly easily detected by drones.
As for Trump’s abilities and authorities in Mexico –– top Republicans on Capitol Hill who could check President Donald Trump’s military authority largely believe he has carte blanche to order military strikes anywhere, anytime.
‘He’s the commander in chief,’ House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan told the Daily Mail when asked if the president can strike any country of his liking. ‘I think what he did in Venezuela is a good thing.’
When pressed again on whether Trump has unlimited power to strike any location worldwide, the Ohio Republican admitted ‘the president could make his case, and we’d go from there.’
The president never sought approval from Congress to strike Venezuela and depose its ex–dictator Nicolas Maduro, or to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities in the summer. Trump made those decisions on his own, albeit with some feedback from his Cabinet.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast told the Daily Mail that the president’s actions fall within his constitutional authority and that he’s allowed to strike any place on the globe at any time.
‘Should he want to, based upon his article two authority, if there’s a credible and imminent threat to the United States of America, absolutely yes,’ the Florida Republican said.
As for Trump’s veiled threats to conduct military operations in countries with flourishing drug production industries, like Mexico, well, Congress does not seem concerned with holding the president back.
‘They’re on the menu,’ Mast said of Mexico. ‘I think it’s a coin flip between them and people in Cuba.’
Mast then noted how he had a friend who went missing while traveling to Mexico, underscoring how dangerous the country has been for decades.
‘Long story short, they found him like six months later, divided up into a couple separate garbage bags.’
The White House and C.I.A declined to comment on the story.
