Trump Authorizes Military Force Against Latin American Cartels Designated as Terrorist Organizations

by Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Staff

(Worthy News) – President Donald Trump has quietly authorized the use of U.S. military force against Latin American drug cartels that his administration has officially classified as foreign terrorist organizations, according to reports by The New York Times and New York Post. The move represents the most aggressive escalation yet in Trump’s long-running campaign to dismantle transnational narcotics networks flooding the United States with fentanyl and other illicit drugs.

According to senior administration officials, the directive empowers U.S. forces to engage cartel operations overseas, with a specific focus on dismantling Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s “Cartel de Los Soles” and allied criminal syndicates. “The president is determined not just to dismantle – but completely destroy – Maduro’s cartel and obliterate their operations in the Western Hemisphere,” a source close to the White House told the New York Post.

Deputy White House Press Secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement to Fox News Digital: “President Trump’s top priority is protecting the homeland, which is why he took the bold step to designate several cartels and gangs as foreign terrorist organizations.” The effort involves coordination between the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the Treasury Department.

No U.S. Troops in Mexico, Says Sheinbaum

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, responding Friday to speculation about U.S. intervention, stated unequivocally that no American military forces would operate on Mexican soil. “It has nothing to do with Mexican territory. It has to do with their country. It does not involve our territory,” she told reporters.

Tensions between Washington and Mexico over cartel enforcement are longstanding. Trump has repeatedly offered to send troops south of the border — an offer Mexico has consistently rejected as a violation of sovereignty.

From Designations to Direct Action

Upon returning to office in January, Trump signed an executive order directing the State Department to label specific cartels and gangs as foreign terrorist organizations. In February, the State Department added groups including “Tren de Aragua,” “Mara Salvatrucha” (MS-13), and Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel to the list, citing their threat to U.S. national security.

Two weeks ago, Venezuela’s “Cartel de los Soles” was also designated, with U.S. officials alleging it is controlled by Maduro and senior members of his regime. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday doubled the reward for information leading to Maduro’s capture to $50 million, accusing him of using cartels to “bring deadly violence to our country” and calling him “one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world.”

Military Planning Underway

Pentagon officials are reportedly drafting operational plans for potential actions against the cartels. However, legal experts warn that overseas military strikes, especially those resulting in the deaths of suspected traffickers who pose no immediate threat, could raise serious domestic and international legal concerns.

Trump allies, such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, argue the designations open new options. “We have to start treating them as armed terrorist organizations, not simply drug-dealing organizations,” Rubio said Thursday. “That means using the full power of the United States, including military capabilities, when necessary.”

A History of Confrontation

The directive follows a series of high-profile actions by the Trump administration, including the extradition of 29 cartel members earlier this year and the use of tariff threats to pressure Mexico and Canada into anti-smuggling cooperation.

During his first term, Trump even explored covert strikes against Mexican drug labs — an idea dismissed by then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper as illegal and an act of war.

Whether Trump’s newly signed authorization will lead to direct U.S. military operations in Latin America remains uncertain. Still, the order signals that the administration is willing to take unprecedented steps — and considerable risks — in its bid to “destroy” the cartels it now labels as terrorists.

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