Tensions Rise as US President Donald Trump Okays Military Strike on Mexico Drug Cartels

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order authorising the US military to take action against drug cartels and criminal groups from Latin America, The New York Times reported on Friday.

The move appears to validate earlier remarks by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had said the military was now cleared to target cartel operations more aggressively. “It allows us to now target what they’re operating… to use other elements of American power — intelligence agencies, the Department of Defense — to target these groups if we have an opportunity,” Rubio said on Thursday.

US Official Rubio Confirms Military Has Been Given Go Ahead Signal to Target Cartels

He added that cartels should be treated as “armed terrorist organisations,” rather than just drug traffickers.

The order has triggered fears that the US military could be deployed both at home and abroad to target groups like the Sinaloa Cartel, Tren de Aragua and Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13). These organisations have already been designated “foreign terrorist organizations” by the Trump administration, placing them in the same category as al-Qaeda and ISIS.

However, a US official told Reuters that no immediate military action is expected.

Still, the news has prompted concern in Mexico. At a press conference on Friday, President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed her government was informed about the order. She insisted it would not involve US forces entering Mexican territory.

“There will be no invasion of Mexico,” she said. 

Mexico President Pushes Back Against Threat of US Military Intervention

Sheinbaum has consistently warned that any US military action within Mexico would be a grave breach of sovereignty.

The idea of using force in Mexico has been raised by US conservatives in the past. In 2023, then-presidential candidate Ron DeSantis pledged to authorize strikes on cartel targets inside Mexico. Representative Dan Crenshaw also introduced a bill seeking approval for military intervention.

Such proposals have drawn anger in Mexico, where memories of past US interference fuel strong resistance to foreign involvement. In May, Trump revealed that he had previously offered to send US troops to fight drug trafficking in Mexico — an offer Sheinbaum flatly rejected.

“I told him, ‘No, President Trump. Our sovereignty is not for sale,’” she recalled.

Trump’s aggressive stance has stirred unease across Latin America and raised complex legal questions.

The Posse Comitatus Act bars the military from domestic policing, leaving gang enforcement to local and federal law agencies. International law, including the UN Charter, also restricts the use of force across borders, except in self-defence.

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