Trump administration eyes military action against some cartels
Police officers work in a crime scene where a man was gunned down, as violence and economic turmoil escalate in Culiacan one year after the abduction and extradition of Sinaloa Cartel leader Ismael \"El Mayo\" Zambada to the United States, in Culiacan, Sinaloa state, Mexico, June 16, 2025. REUTERS/Jesus Bustamante/File Photo
President Donald Trump's administration can use the military to go after drug cartels that have been designated as global terrorist organizations and has directed the Pentagon to prepare options, U.S. officials said.
The Trump administration designated Tren de Aragua, the Sinaloa Cartel and other drug cartels as global terrorist organizations in February, as Trump stepped up immigration enforcement against alleged gang members.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday the administration could now use the military to go after cartels.
"It allows us to now target what they're operating and to use other elements of American power, intelligence agencies, the Department of Defense, whatever... to target these groups if we have an opportunity to do it," Rubio said.
"We have to start treating them as armed terrorist organizations, not simply drug dealing organizations."
The New York Times reported on Friday that Trump had secretly signed a directive to begin using military force against the groups.
A U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that move but said military action against the designated groups did not appear imminent and it was unclear exactly what type of operations they would carry out.
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A second U.S. official said the authority would, among other things, give the U.S. Navy the authority to carry out actions at sea and could include drug interdiction operations.
The U.S. military has already been increasing its airborne surveillance of Mexican drug cartels to collect intelligence to determine how to best counter their activities.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Friday that members of the U.S. military would not be entering Mexican territory.
Sheinbaum said her government had been informed of a coming order but that it had nothing to do with the U.S. military operating on Mexican soil.
Trump has previously offered to send U.S. troops to Mexico to help Sheinbaum combat drug trafficking, an offer Sheinbaum said in May she had refused. He has said publicly the U.S. would take unilateral military action if Mexico failed to dismantle drug cartels.
Trump considered military action in Mexico during his first term. His former defense secretary, Mark Esper, wrote in his memoir that Trump asked at least twice in 2020 if the military could "shoot missiles into Mexico to destroy drug labs." Esper wrote that he replied that it would be illegal and an act of war. REUTERS
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