Overview
- President Trump has ordered the Defense Department to develop military options targeting major Latin American cartels designated as foreign terrorist organizations in January
- U.S. planning staffs are exploring land and maritime missions by special operations units and intelligence assets, although no deployment is imminent
- The Mexican government has firmly rejected any U.S. troop presence on its soil, citing national sovereignty and ruling out an invasion
- Legal experts and members of Congress are questioning presidential authority for lethal operations overseas without explicit congressional authorization or host-nation consent
- The White House has not officially confirmed the order, with a deputy press secretary highlighting homeland protection as the motivation for terrorist designations