A military invasion of Mexico. A scenario that, just a few years ago, would have been dismissed as political fantasy now appears to be at the heart of the future strategy for Donald Trump’s administration. According to Rolling Stone, MAGA strategists allegedly aim to eliminate drug cartels with an operation on Mexican soil.
“How far should we go with an invasion of Mexico?” asked one of Trump’s senior advisors. This is no offhand remark: the idea of striking the cartels with military force is now supported by an increasing number of Republican figures, including key players selected for Trump’s upcoming government.
Sources close to the president-elect reveal that even during the campaign, “battle plans” were drawn up for targeted operations on Mexican territory. These include air raids on drug labs, special forces interventions to eliminate cartel leaders, and cyber warfare aimed at disrupting Latin American criminal networks.
Pete Hegseth, nominated by Trump as the next Secretary of Defense, has never concealed his support for military operations against the cartels, which he called “terrorist organizations poisoning Americans.” “If it takes military action, that’s what we’ll have to do,” said the incoming Pentagon chief. “Precision and force: that’s how we change the game.”
Trump clarified his intentions in a series of discussions with his advisors and congressional allies: either the Mexican government manages to halt the flow of fentanyl into the U.S., or it will be bypassed by a massive U.S. military intervention. And it’s not just the MAGA camp backing this stance. Even the GOP establishment, including Senator Lindsey Graham, seems in agreement about designating the cartels as terrorist organizations, paving the way for “an unprecedented military response against these threats.”
Tom Homan, Trump’s”border czar,” is in favor of a tough approach, namely one where Trump deploys “the full force of special operations to neutralize the cartels.” Kristi Noem, governor of South Dakota and Trump’s pick for Secretary of Homeland Security, has also expressed support, calling the southern border a “war zone” and labeling Latin American cartels “the common enemy of all 50 states.”
However, it is hard to imagine the Mexican government sitting idly by. A U.S. military intervention in Mexico would technically constitute an invasion, with the potential to devastate bilateral relations—already strained by Trump’s threat to impose a 25% tariff on goods from the south—and upset the entire regional balance.
According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published in November, nearly 100,000 Americans (97,000) died from overdoses in the past year, the vast majority of which were caused by fentanyl, an opioid up to fifty times more potent than heroin. Mexican cartels produce the drug, importing chemical “precursors” from Chinese companies, and then assemble it in Central American labs before trafficking it into the vast U.S. consumer market.
