Trump administration reportedly planning new mission in Mexico against drug cartels

For the mission, the troops, many of whom would be from Joint Special Operations Command, and the Central Intelligence Agency would operate under the authority of the US intelligence community, known as Title 50 status.

While one of the officials told NBC News that a deployment to Mexico is not imminent, two others said that discussions about the scope of the mission are ongoing, and a final decision has not been made.

Sharing further details, one of the officials told the outlet that the mission would mainly use drone strikes to hit drug labs and cartel members and leaders inside Mexico. The officials also said that, unlike the ongoing strikes by the US military on alleged drug-trafficking boats, details of the mission in Mexico, if given the green signal, will not be published.

Trump vs Mexican cartels

The Trump administration has long accused Mexico of flooding the US with illegal drugs. Mexico’s alleged refusal to crack down on the influx of illegal immigrants and fentanyl originating in China through the Mexican border was among the reasons for Trump to impose tariffs on the country earlier this year.

In February, the US State Department designated six Mexican drug cartels, the Sinaloa Cartel, Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, Cártel del Noreste, La Nueva Familia Michoacana, Cártel del Golfo and Cárteles Unidos as well as MS-13 and the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, as foreign terrorist organisations.

US military build-up in the Caribbean

The report about the possible mission in Mexico comes at a time when the US is stepping up its military presence in the Caribbean, which is seen as a tactic to pressure Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

During his interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes, Trump, however, played down the possibility of a US war with Venezuela, but suggested that Maduro’s days as president were numbered.