By Billal Rahman
Immigration Reporter
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President Donald Trump has floated the possibility of sending U.S. troops into Mexico to combat the country's powerful drug cartels.
Trump's comments came in response to a question about whether he would consider deploying U.S. special forces to target cartels if they were designated as foreign terrorist organizations.
"Could happen," he said in the Oval Office after his inauguration. "Stranger things have happened."
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Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment via email outside of normal office hours.
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Why It Matters
Mexican cartels, among the most notorious and powerful criminal organizations in the world, have been one of the driving forces behind the fentanyl crisis in the United States.
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, has been linked to thousands of overdose deaths across the U.S. and is often smuggled across the southern border by cartels or drug mules.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), synthetic opioids like fentanyl account for 70 percent of overdose deaths in the U.S.
What To Know
Trump designated international cartels and criminal organizations such as MS-13 and Tren de Aragua as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) under an executive order.
These groups will be declared a national security threat, invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to disrupt their operations.
Trump repeatedly vowed to crack down on cartels throughout his successful presidential campaign.
His moves align with Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who has implemented multiple policies designed to combat cartel violence.
Abbott is offering a $5,000 bounty for intelligence that leads to the capture of members of the notorious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
On September 16, the governor signed a proclamation officially designating the gang as a foreign terrorist organization in the state of Texas.
Meanwhile, a Republican congressman has urged the GOP to establish a dedicated committee to address the growing threat of drug cartels amid a push for military action against crime syndicates in Mexico.
Representative Dan Crenshaw, who serves Texas' 2nd Congressional District, is pushing for a specialized committee on cartels, seeking to bolster efforts to combat the escalating violence along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The proposed legislation would allow the use of military force against the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels as part of a broader strategy to suppress cartel activity and cross-border crime.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump said in the Oval Office: "[The cartels are] killing our people. They're killing 250,000 to 300,000 American people a year."
"The Cartels have engaged in a campaign of violence and terror throughout the Western Hemisphere that has not only destabilized countries with significant importance for our national interests but also flooded the United States with deadly drugs, violent criminals, and vicious gangs," the executive order signed by Trump reads.
Trump previously said notorious drug kingpins and cartels would "never sleep soundly" again once he launched his plans to tackle the issue.
"The drug cartels are waging war on America—and it's now time for America to wage war on the cartels," Trump said in 2023. "The drug cartels and their allies in the Biden administration have the blood of countless millions on their hands. Millions and millions of families and people are being destroyed. When I am back in the White House, the drug kingpins and vicious traffickers will never sleep soundly again."
Political commentator Krystal Ball said in a post on X, formerly Twitter: "Declaring drug cartels terrorist organizations allows Trump to wage war on Mexico with zero congressional input."
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt previously told Newsweek: "President Trump will enlist every federal power and coordinate with state authorities to institute the largest deportation operation of illegal criminals, drug dealers, and human traffickers in American history while simultaneously lowering costs for families.
What Happens Next
The Trump administration is expected to swiftly crack down on cartels as it looks to enforce border security policies designed to curb illegal migration and stem the flow of drugs entering the country.
It remains to be seen if Trump will send U.S. troops to Mexico.
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