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Trump Says U.S. Will Begin Land Operations Targeting Drug Cartels, Hinting at Mexico

Mexico's rejection of foreign intervention has sharpened sovereignty questions, with critics challenging the legality of any cross-border strikes.

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A US Customs and Border Protection agent walks past barrels with chemicals used to create synthetic drugs like methamphetamine at the end of a news conference by federal authorities in Pasadena, Texas, on September 3, 2025. According to US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, authorities seized 300,000 kilos of meth precursor chemicals sent from China and destined for Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel. (Photo by RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP) (Photo by RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
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Overview

  • Trump told Fox News the U.S. will "start now hitting land" against cartels and claimed they are "running Mexico," offering no timeline or operational details.
  • The move would expand a campaign that has featured more than 30 maritime strikes since September, with reporting of at least 115 people killed on suspected smuggling boats.
  • Trump has asserted the U.S. has stopped "97%" of drugs arriving by water and has linked the next phase to curbing fentanyl flows, though his casualty figures are disputed.
  • The announcement follows a U.S. special-operations raid in Venezuela that captured Nicolás Maduro, an operation Mexico criticized as unlawful intervention.
  • President Claudia Sheinbaum has publicly rejected foreign troops in Mexico, while U.N. experts and some in Congress have questioned the legal basis and regional impact of any land strikes.