Overview

• President Trump signed a covert directive authorizing the Pentagon to prepare options for using military force against Latin American drug cartels designated as foreign terrorist organizations.
• U.S. military officials have begun drafting operational plans but have not publicly confirmed any deployment of troops or airstrikes.
• Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has categorically rejected the presence of U.S. forces on Mexican soil, warning it would jeopardize bilateral cooperation.
• Legal experts and some members of Congress argue that unilateral military action could violate war powers legislation and international law without formal authorizations.
• Analysts caution that past counter-drug military interventions failed to curb trafficking and that unilateral strikes risk inflaming regional anti-American sentiment and undermining security partnerships.