Trump Grants Military Authority to Target Latin American Cartels as Terrorist Threats
A quiet but seismic directive from Washington has stirred unease across the Americas. According to multiple sources, President Donald Trump has reportedly authorized the U.S. military to take direct action against Latin American drug cartels—treating them as foreign terrorist organizations rather than traditional criminal syndicates.
While the White House frames the move as a decisive effort to curb the flow of fentanyl and cartel-driven violence into the United States, critics warn it risks blurring the line between law enforcement and full-scale military engagement.
The New York Times first reported the development on Friday, highlighting that this directive represents the most aggressive step yet in Trump’s ongoing campaign to disrupt cross-border drug trafficking. Previously, operations against cartels fell primarily under federal law enforcement.
Now, under Trump’s order, U.S. military forces are empowered to target these organizations both on land and at sea. “The president is committed not just to dismantling—but to obliterating—Maduro’s Cartel de Los Soles and dismantling their networks throughout the Western Hemisphere,” a White House official told reporters.
The cartels now designated as foreign terrorist organizations include Venezuela’s Cartel de Los Soles, Tren de Aragua, and El Salvador-based Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13). Military action against these groups was a key plank in Trump’s 2024 campaign platform, particularly those operating inside Mexico.
Since resuming office, he has imposed tariffs on Canada and Mexico, citing failures to curb drug and human trafficking, while directing immigration authorities to focus on suspected gang affiliates. Seized cartel assets are also being earmarked to aid families of victims.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has emerged as a focal point in this crackdown.
Just a day before the reports surfaced, the Justice and State Departments announced a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest on U.S. drug trafficking charges.
Officials say the campaign involves coordination among multiple federal agencies, including Defense, Justice, Homeland Security, Treasury, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Deputy White House Press Secretary Anna Kelly framed the administration’s reasoning: “Protecting the homeland is our highest priority, which is why the president took the bold step of designating several cartels and gangs as foreign terrorist organizations.”
Conclusion
Trump’s authorization for military action against Latin American cartels signals an unprecedented escalation in America’s war on drugs. By recategorizing these groups as terrorist entities, the administration has widened the operational battlefield, potentially putting U.S. troops in direct confrontation with organizations traditionally treated as criminal enterprises.
Whether this approach will enhance national security or entangle the United States in fresh regional conflicts remains uncertain, but it underscores the administration’s willingness to push conventional boundaries in pursuit of its anti-cartel agenda.