Trump Announces Ground Attacks on Mexican Cartels

Washington — U.S. President Donald Trump stated Thursday that ground attacks are about to begin against drug cartels, which he claimed "are running Mexico."

"We're going to start attacking on the ground as far as the cartels are concerned," Trump said in an interview with Fox News.

His statements come less than a week after Washington executed a plan to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and bring him before a federal court in New York to try him for "narco-terrorism."

"The cartels are running Mexico. It's very, very sad to see and realize what has happened in that country. But the cartels are running it and they're killing 250,000 or 300,000 people in our country every year," the Republican added in the interview broadcast today.

Criticisms of Cartel Control in Mexico

Since the beginning of his second term, Trump has said he will crack down hard on drug trafficking, especially fentanyl from Mexico, and has offered to send the U.S. military to attack drug trafficking.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has rejected these proposals, arguing that Mexico is a sovereign country and that her administration is committed to a peaceful solution.

Last Sunday, Trump praised his Mexican counterpart but said that the president "is worried" and "a little scared about the cartels controlling Mexico."

"Something has to be done about Mexico. Mexico needs to get organized, because drugs are being smuggled in from Mexico. And we're going to have to do something. We would love for Mexico to do it. They are capable of doing it, but unfortunately, the cartels are very strong in Mexico," the New York tycoon said a day after the operation to arrest Maduro.