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Donald Trump is planning to send US troops to Mexico on a new mission, according to US officials. The Trump administration has reportedly begun planning a move to target drug cartels, US officials said.
But a deployment to Mexico is apparently not imminent. The US troops, many of whom will be from the Joint Special Operations Command, will reportedly operate under the authority of the US intelligence community, known as Title 50 status. They said officers from the CIA will also participate, NBC News reports.
A U.S. mission using U.S. forces to strike drug cartel targets inside Mexico would open a new front in President Donald Trump's military campaign against drug cartels in the Western Hemisphere. So far, the administration has focused on Venezuela and carrying out attacks on suspected drug-trafficking ships.
If the mission is given the final green light, the administration plans to maintain secrecy about it and not publicize the actions related to it, as it has done with recent bombings of suspected drug-smuggling ships, two current and two former U.S. officials said.
“The Trump administration is committed to using a whole-of-government approach to address the threats that cartels pose to American citizens,” a senior administration official said in response to the NBC story. The CIA declined to comment. The Pentagon referred questions to the White House.
Under the new mission, US troops in Mexico will primarily use drone strikes to target drug labs and members of the cartel leadership, according to two current and two former US officials.
Some of the drones that special forces will use require operators to be on the ground to use them effectively and safely, officials said.
In February, the State Department designated six Mexican drug cartels, as well as MS-13 and the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, as foreign terrorist organizations, giving U.S. spy agencies and military units full legal authorization to conduct espionage and covert operations targeting criminal networks.
Trump publicly acknowledged earlier this month that he authorized covert CIA operations inside Venezuela and has said his administration may strike drug cartel targets on the ground there.
NBC News reported in April that the Trump administration was considering launching drone strikes against drug cartels in Mexico. Trump administration officials are still debating exactly how aggressive they should be in Mexico as part of their fight against drug cartels, according to two former U.S. officials and another former administration official with knowledge of the effort.
Unlike Venezuela, the mission being planned for Mexico is not designed to undermine the country's government, two current and two former US officials said.
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