Trump announces ground attacks against cartels; claims Mexico is controlled by drug cartels.
Trump said the US will begin ground attacks against drug cartels and reiterated that these organizations
President Donald Trump announced that his administration will begin ground attacks against drug cartels following recent maritime operations in the Pacific and the Caribbean. While he did not specify the region or when the operations would begin, he reiterated that these criminal organizations "run Mexico," defending their anti-drug trafficking strategy. In an interview with Fox News, Trump asserted that his administration has reduced drug trafficking by sea by 97% as a result of operations at sea and oceans, and announced that the offensive will now expand to include land-based actions. "We're going to start taking action on the ground against the cartels. The cartels run Mexico. It's very sad to see what's happening to the country, but the cartels run it," the US president said. Trump maintained that drug trafficking causes between 250,000 and 300,000 deaths annually in the United States, and stated that the crisis has devastated families. entire, affecting both young people and adults.
Maritime Offensive from 2025
As part of its anti-drug strategy, the United States government began maritime operations in the Caribbean and other areas in September 2025, which included attacks against suspected drug boats in international waters.
According to figures cited by the US government, these operations have left more than 100 suspected criminals dead. Trump began his second term with the fight against drug trafficking as one of his main priorities and has maintained that drugs represent a direct threat to national security.
Pressure on Mexico
Trump's statements come almost a week after the US military incursion into Venezuela to arrest President Nicolas Maduro, who is accused of narco-terrorism, an action that raised regional tensions and revived speculation about a possible expansion of Washington's strategy against organized crime.
After Maduro's capture, Trump said that "something will have to be done about Mexico,"Although specialists considered a direct military intervention to be a distant possibility.
In response to these statements, Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum has rejected this scenario and indicated that the US president's warnings are part of his speaking style.
Since the beginning of his second term, Trump has designated eight cartels as terrorist organizations, reinforced operations in the Caribbean, and declared fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction, according to his administration.