The Trump administration is reportedly planning a significant escalation in its campaign against Latin American drug cartels, with a plan to send U.S. troops and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officers into Mexico for covert, on-the-ground missions, NBC News reported on Monday, citing current and former U.S. officials.
The plan, if approved, would mark an unprecedented direct U.S. military involvement against cartels on Mexican soil. It is said to include a combination of limited ground operations by U.S. military personnel—mostly from Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC)—and CIA personnel, alongside drone strikes on high-value cartel targets and drug labs within Mexico.
Training for the potential mission is reportedly already underway, two current officials told NBC News, though a deployment to Mexico is not considered imminent. The operation would run under the authority of the intelligence community, a departure from past administrations that only deployed the CIA to assist Mexican government anti-cartel missions.
Unlike President Trump’s previously publicized, video-documented attacks on cartel boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, officials said the new plan calls for the operation in Mexico to be kept secret, with no public acknowledgment of any strikes.
A senior administration official told NBC in response to the news: “The Trump administration is committed to utilizing an all-of-government approach to address the threats cartels pose to American citizens.”
The move is being presented as an effort to strike directly at the core infrastructure and leadership of cartels in Mexico. Officials stressed that the plan is not intended to undermine the Mexican government.
However, any unilateral deployment of U.S. forces within Mexico is likely to create a major diplomatic and political crisis with its southern neighbor. Previous proposals for military intervention have been met with strong opposition from Mexican officials, who view such actions as a violation of sovereignty.
The final decision on the mission’s approval and scope is still pending, but its contemplation signals a dramatic intensification of the administration’s focus on transnational drug organizations.
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