New reports are signaling a division between White House officials over whether to carry out military strikes against Mexican drug cartels or to just collaborate with Mexican authorities to jointly combat the criminal organizations.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration designated six Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations, but according to several people familiar with the matter, some U.S. officials are divided on how to move forward.
As reported by The New York Times, one side is advocating for unilateral military action against the cartels while another group is advocating for an increased collaboration with the Mexican government instead.
The outlet suggests that the most radical approach is being led by Sebastian Gorka, Trump's senior director for counterterrorism within the White House National Security Council. According to three current and former U.S. officials who were not authorized to speak publicly.
Gorka and a former officer in the Joint Special Operations Command have allegedly been working together in an effort to push toward using American military power to take down Mexican drug lords and their operations on the ground, current and former officials told The New York Times.
On the other hand, the White House's Homeland Security Council, led by deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, is working on a more cautious approach. According to two people familiar with the talks, Miller is looking for a compromise as he is afraid a military intervention could shut down cooperation with Mexican officials when it comes to immigration and securing the U.S.-Mexico border.
The issue is expected to gain more clarity in the upcoming days as Omar García Harfuch, Mexico's secretary of security along with a delegation of high-ranking officials will meet with their American counterparts. They arrived in Washington on Feb. 27 to talk about a security agreement.
So far into the negotiations, American officials have delivered vague ultimatums and unclear policy demands that Mexico cracks down on cartels in order to avoid a more serious approach from the U.S, three people familiar with the preliminary negotiations said.
As the Trump administration ramps up its offensive against drug cartels, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum demanded earlier this week that any U.S. military action against cartels be done in cooperation with Mexican forces, instead of a full intervention, vowing to protect her country's sovereignty.
"They can call them (the cartels) whatever they want, but with Mexico, it is collaboration and coordination, never subordination or interventionism, and even less invasion," Sheinbaum said on Feb. 21.
© 2025 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
