Overview
- In a Fox News interview, President Trump said the U.S. will begin pursuing cartels on land after months of maritime strikes, claiming 97% of drug flows by sea have been stopped.
- The escalation talk comes days after a U.S. raid in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro, which drew regional condemnation.
- Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reaffirmed Mexico’s sovereignty and publicly rejected any foreign military role while criticizing the U.S. action in Venezuela.
- Trump offered no details on targets, legal authority, or timing, as analysts and some lawmakers warned that unilateral land operations would raise sovereignty, legal, and diplomatic concerns.
- Reporting since September cites more than 100 people killed in U.S. strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.