President Donald Trump escalated his administration’s cartel crackdown Thursday, warning that U.S. ground troops will enter Mexico to fight drug cartels if the Mexican government refuses to act.
“If they are not going to do the job, we are going to do the job,” Trump said during a speech this week, delivering his sharpest threat yet toward America’s southern neighbor.
Trump said moving ground forces into Mexico would be simpler than the naval operations his administration has already conducted against cartel boats. He cited those prior strikes as evidence of what aggressive military action can accomplish, claiming they produced a 97 percent reduction in cartel smuggling by sea.
The remarks sent shockwaves through Mexico City.
President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has made sovereignty a centerpiece of her foreign policy, has flatly rejected any U.S. military presence on Mexican soil. Speaking during a May 5 address loaded with nationalist language, Sheinbaum said the Mexican people “loved freedom” and would resist foreign forces attempting to operate in their country.
The timing of Trump’s comments is no accident. His administration has been ratcheting up legal and military pressure on Mexico for months, targeting not just cartel foot soldiers but officials at the highest levels of the Mexican government.
Last week, the Department of Justice criminally indicted Sinaloa Gov. Ruben Rocha Moya and nine of his closest allies on federal drug trafficking and weapons charges. Prosecutors allege Rocha Moya worked directly with the Sinaloa Cartel, exchanging political protection for cartel money.
Rocha Moya is a member of MORENA, Mexico’s ruling party, and a longtime political ally of former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. Mexico has formally moved to block the U.S. arrest and extradition request, setting up a direct legal and diplomatic confrontation between Washington and Mexico City.
The DOJ has signaled more indictments targeting Mexican officials are forthcoming. Officials say the Rocha Moya case is the opening move in a broader legal campaign aimed at exposing ties between MORENA and the cartels the party has allegedly shielded in exchange for money and political influence.
If those additional indictments land as expected, the fallout could threaten the political foundations of Sheinbaum’s government. MORENA has ruled Mexico since 2018, and prosecutors say cartel relationships run deep within the party’s ranks.
Trump designated several major Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations earlier in his term. That legal move expanded the range of tools the U.S. can deploy against cartel networks, including military action under existing counterterrorism authorities.
The designation also allowed the Treasury Department to sanction individuals and businesses providing material support to cartel operations. Since the designations took effect, U.S. officials say they have taken action against hundreds of financial networks tied to the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels.
The Sinaloa Cartel remains one of the most powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world and bears direct responsibility for much of the fentanyl flowing into the United States, contributing to tens of thousands of American deaths each year from overdoses.
Trump’s ground-troop threat raises the stakes to a new level. U.S. military operations on Mexican soil would be a dramatic escalation with no recent precedent, and Sheinbaum’s government shows no sign of backing down.
