Washington (TheSun)- President Donald Trump is reportedly preparing to deploy U.S. troops and drone units into Mexico as part of an intensifying campaign to combat drug cartels smuggling narcotics into the United States. The move marks a significant escalation in Trump’s self-declared “war on narco-terrorists,” extending military operations beyond U.S. borders.
According to NBC News, the Trump administration is currently in the early stages of planning a joint special operations mission targeting drug cartels operating inside Mexican territory. Two U.S. officials familiar with the discussions said preliminary planning has already taken place in Mexico, with American forces being trained for potential deployment.
While no immediate deployment has been ordered, senior administration and defense officials are said to be weighing the scope of the potential operation. The mission, if approved, would operate under the Pentagon’s Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) and within the framework of Title 50 of U.S. legal code, which governs national security operations.
Under the proposed plan, drone strikes would serve as the main tactical tool, with limited ground forces positioned nearby to ensure operational safety. Unlike past administrations that provided covert intelligence and logistical support to Mexico’s anti-cartel efforts, Trump’s strategy would involve direct U.S. military engagement on foreign soil.
“The Trump administration is committed to utilizing an all-of-government approach to address the threats cartels pose to American citizens,” a senior official told NBC News, declining to confirm operational details.
The new plan follows a series of U.S. drone strikes in the Caribbean that destroyed vessels allegedly carrying narcotics bound for U.S. ports. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has shared several surveillance videos showing drone strikes on suspected smuggling freighters, vowing to treat “any foreign group bringing drugs into America exactly like Al-Qaeda.”
Trump has long identified the influx of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids as a national security crisis, calling the drug epidemic “the leading cause of death among Americans aged 18 to 45.”
Despite Trump’s assurances that he wishes to avoid a direct military confrontation with Mexico, the proposed plan has already drawn criticism from international leaders. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum firmly rejected any form of U.S. intervention, saying her government would accept coordination but not subordination.
“We reject any form of intervention or interference,” Sheinbaum said at a press conference. “Mexico coordinates and collaborates, but does not subordinate itself.”
Critics have also raised legal concerns over Trump’s reported decision to bypass congressional authorization for military strikes against cartel targets. “I don’t think we’re going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war,” Trump told reporters earlier this year. “I think we’re just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country. We’re going to kill them.”
Tensions have also flared with Venezuela, where the U.S. Navy deployed the world’s largest warship off the country’s coast as part of a wider anti-narcotics mission. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has warned that his country is ready to retaliate, claiming to have Russian missiles prepared “in case of conflict.”
Meanwhile, the United Nations has condemned the ongoing U.S. strikes in the Caribbean, which have reportedly killed more than 60 people since September. U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk described the actions as “unacceptable,” warning that no international law currently justifies such cross-border operations.
“These attacks and their mounting human cost are unacceptable,” Türk said Friday. “All parties must immediately step back from escalation and return to lawful, cooperative measures to address drug trafficking.”
