Overview

• President Trump signed a secret directive empowering the Pentagon to draft military strike options at sea and on foreign soil against cartels labeled as foreign terrorist organizations.
• Military planners have begun drafting operational scenarios, but no deployment timeline is set; officials indicate strikes do not appear imminent.
• The foreign terrorist designations, applied to groups such as Tren de Aragua, MS-13, the Sinaloa Cartel and Cartel de los Soles, unlock asset freezes, harsher penalties and military tools.
• Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has reiterated that U.S. forces will not be allowed on Mexican territory, citing a breach of sovereignty.
• Legal analysts caution that unilateral military actions could conflict with the Posse Comitatus Act and international humanitarian law.