Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned that the U.S. reserves the right to move against cartels in Mexico if the Trump administration believes the country is not doing enough on its end.
Speaking to press during a visit to the southern border, Hegseth said he knows Trump "is in constant contact with the president of Mexico" and he had conversations with the "head of Defense and Navy."
"We want them to secure their own territory and sovereignty, but we reserve the right – should there not be an ability to police international and violent cartels – to protect our own sovereignty as well. We hope Mexico will step up. We expect they will."
Asked for specifics, Hegseth said it would be "silly" to tip his hand, according to Border Report. He added that troops' current mission lies in curbing unlawful immigration into the country.
Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, echoed the message, saying reining in on cartels would be "a great gift for the country of Mexico." Homan said such an outcome would mean "less journalists assassinated, less judges, less politicians being assassinated." "It would be a much safer country. That would be historic," he added.
Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office moving toward designating Mexican drug cartels and other Latin American criminal groups as foreign terrorist organizations.
Using this designation could preface the use of military force on Mexican soil. At the same time, it could also lead to tougher financial penalties and legal ramifications in the US against those involved, according to CNN. Experts argue that it could strain the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has pushed against the possibility that the U.S. will operate inside its territory. She said "we all want to fight the drug cartels," but she drew a clear line to do so: "The U.S. in their territory, us in our territory," she added.
Republicans close to Trump have been touting a potential "soft invasion" of Mexico, which would entail sending troops across the border to eliminate cartel leaders and operatives.
During his 2024 campaign, Trump suggested he'd consider invading or bombing Mexico to fight drug cartels.
Back in July, Fox News's Jesse Watters asked Trump if he'd consider strikes against drug cartels operating in the country. Trump said yes, although the statement was also interpreted as a potential threat against the Mexican government in hopes of decreasing cartels' influence. "Mexico's gonna have to straighten it out really fast, or the answer is absolutely," Trump said.
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