President Donald Trump has reportedly ordered the Pentagon to begin using military force against drug cartels that have been deemed terrorist organizations under his administration, people familiar with the matter revealed to the New York Times.
Anna Kelly, a spokeswoman for the White House, told the outlet when asked about Trump authorizing military force against cartels, "President Trump’s top priority is protecting the homeland, which is why he took the bold step to designate several cartels and gangs as foreign terrorist organizations."
The sources said that US military officials have begun preparing options for how to go after the designated cartel groups. Per the outlet, the directive is "focused on US forces directly capturing or killing people involved in the drug trade."
This comes as National Guardsmen and active duty troops have been deployed to the border under the Trump administration to stem the flow of drugs and illegal immigrants over the border. The Trump administration has labeled criminal organizations, such as Tren de Aragua, MS-13, and most recently, the Venezuelan Cartel of the Suns, or Cartel de los Soles, as terrorist organizations.
