US President Donald Trump is to send US troops into Mexico in a major drive against drug cartels in the country. The Trump administration is advancing plans for a new military operation that could see American troops and intelligence agents deployed inside Mexico to strike drug cartels, according to two current and two former US officials. Early training and coordination for the potential mission are already underway, officials said, though no formal order has been given and deployment is not yet imminent.
The mission's details, including its scale and timing, are still being discussed within the administration, and a final decision has not yet been made. If approved, the plan would represent a dramatic expansion of President Donald Trump's war on drug cartels.
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Unlike past US support missions in Mexico, which primarily offered intelligence and training to local forces, this operation would reportedly authorise direct US military strikes on cartel targets, including drug production sites and high-ranking cartel leaders.
The two current US officials told NBC News that the mission would likely involve elite units from the Joint Special Operations Command working alongside the CIA under Title 50 authority, a classification used for covert intelligence operations.
Officials indicated that drone strikes would form a central part of the strategy, though some systems require operators to be stationed on the ground in Mexico to ensure precision and safety.
A senior administration official told NBC News: "The Trump administration is committed to utilising an all-of-government approach to address the threats cartels pose to American citizens."
Mexican President, Claudia Sheinbaum, has previously voiced opposition to US intervention.
She said during a press conference in April: "We reject any form of intervention or interference. That's been very clear, Mexico coordinates and collaborates, but does not subordinate itself."
Since September, Trump has intensified his military campaign against suspected narcotics smuggling routes, authorising strikes on boats allegedly linked to Venezuelan cartels.
US officials claimed those missions have destroyed 16 vessels and killed dozens of suspected traffickers, though few details have been released publicly.