Trump Announces Expansion of Military Campaign Against Drug Cartels to Land
President Trump said U.S. will begin land strikes against drug cartels after maritime attacks and a Venezuela operation, raising legal and diplomatic concerns over sovereignty.
Overview
President Trump told Fox News he will "start hitting land" against cartels, saying maritime strikes knocked out 97% of drug shipments, though he gave few operational details.
Remarks hinted at operations possibly extending into Mexico or elsewhere in Latin America after a U.S. operation in Venezuela captured Maduro; Mexico's president denied invasion likelihood.
Legal and political backlash followed: opponents urged impeachment, the Senate passed a symbolic war powers resolution against further Venezuela action without congressional approval.
Since September, U.S. strikes at sea killed at least 115 people in more than 30 attacks on vessels; critics questioned legal authority and evidentiary claims.
Trump said he will meet Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado and reiterated claims about cartel-caused overdoses, while Mexican President Sheinbaum rejected foreign military intervention.
Analysis
Analysis unavailable for this viewpoint.
Sources (3)
FAQ
The Trump administration frames its campaign against cartels and the Maduro-linked network as a “non-international armed conflict,” arguing this allows use of military force against “narco‑terrorist” organizations under his commander‑in‑chief powers and the 2025 National Security Strategy, which calls for “neutralizing” cartels and other transnational criminal groups with lethal force, though many legal experts and human rights groups say these killings violate both U.S. and international law.
Since September 2025, Operation Southern Spear has relied mainly on air and naval assets to conduct more than 20 lethal strikes on alleged drug‑trafficking boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, and by the end of 2025 at least 115 people had been killed in over 30 such attacks, which U.S. officials say targeted vessels moving narcotics for cartels tied to the Maduro regime.
Any U.S. military attack on Mexican territory without Mexico’s consent would violate international law, and Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum has repeatedly condemned the designation of cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and rejected any U.S. troop presence or operations on Mexican soil as an unacceptable infringement on the country’s sovereignty and self‑determination.
Congressional critics have challenged Trump’s authority to wage this campaign without new authorization, with the Senate passing symbolic war‑powers resolutions aimed at restricting further military action in Venezuela, even as a Republican majority previously rejected binding measures that would have limited his ability to continue airstrikes and other operations against alleged drug targets.
Venezuela’s government under Nicolás Maduro accused Washington of seeking regime change and committing illegal killings, while Mexico’s government has publicly opposed the sea‑based strikes, negotiated a protocol for its navy to intercept suspect vessels to avoid further U.S. bombings, and stated it “categorically” rejects foreign military intervention or unauthorized operations in its territory.
History
This story does not have any previous versions.