Overview

• Donald Trump, if re-elected, plans to send Special Forces into Mexico to assassinate drug cartel leaders.
• The strategy includes using covert operations without necessarily seeking Mexican government approval.
• Trump likens the proposed missions to the 2019 raid that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
• Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and U.S. military experts warn of negative impacts on U.S.-Mexico relations.
• The proposal reflects a broader Republican push for aggressive military action against drug cartels.