Trump administration considering drone strikes on cartels in Mexico

The Trump administration is considering launching drone strikes against drug cartels operating in Mexico as part of an aggressive new strategy to combat cartels recently designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), NBC News reported, citing current and former U.S. officials with knowledge of the discussions.

According to the report, White House, Pentagon, and intelligence officials have been holding early-stage talks on potential strikes targeting cartel leaders and their logistical networks. The discussions have included the possibility of operating with the cooperation of Mexico’s government, although unilateral covert action has not been ruled out and could be considered as a last resort.

Speaking at a press conference Tuesday morning, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum firmly rejected any such action, calling it an unacceptable form of intervention.

“We’ve always said it: we do not agree with any intervention or interference. We coordinate—we do not subordinate,” Sheinbaum said. “We have told them clearly: this does not solve anything. What works is a sustained effort to address root causes and enforce justice through arrests, with zero impunity.”

The president emphasized that Mexico remains open to dialogue but ruled out the use of American drones within its borders. “We reject any such actions, and we do not believe they will happen, because there is strong communication. But in Mexico, no. Absolutely not,” she said.

The discussion comes amid a broader escalation in U.S. policy toward criminal organizations operating in Mexico and the region. In February, the State Department officially designated six major Mexican cartels—including the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel—as FTOs, along with Tren de Aragua and MS-13. All eight groups were also labeled Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs).

The designations followed an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on his first day in office, aimed at giving law enforcement and intelligence agencies broader authority to target cartel operatives and dismantle their command structures, both in the U.S. and abroad.

“The intent of designating these cartels and transnational organizations as terrorists is to protect our nation, the American people, and our hemisphere,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at the time. “These designations provide law enforcement additional tools to stop these groups.”

In response, President Sheinbaum vowed to introduce constitutional reforms prohibiting any foreign intervention in criminal investigations or prosecutions without Mexico’s consent. Her government is also pushing for changes to Article 19 of the constitution to include arms trafficking as a crime meriting pre-trial detention and to increase penalties on foreign nationals involved in illicit activities in Mexico.

“They can call it whatever they decide,” Sheinbaum said in February, “but with Mexico, it is collaboration and coordination—never subordination, non-interference, and much less invasion.”