Trump’s Secret Order to Strike Mexican Cartels: Sheinbaum Responds

Mexico City, Mexico — U.S. President Donald Trump has secretly signed an executive order authorizing the Pentagon to use direct military force against certain drug cartels in Latin America, including Mexico, which his administration has designated as foreign terrorist organizations, according to a report by The New York Times.

During her morning press conference on Friday, August 8, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum dismissed the possibility of a U.S. military invasion following Trump’s order.

“The United States will not send troops into Mexico. We cooperate and collaborate, but there will be no invasion—that is out of the question. We have made this clear in all our communications,” she stated.

Senators in Mexico also echoed Sheinbaum’s stance, asserting that no foreign interference in Mexican sovereignty would be permitted.

Trump’s Executive Order Targets Cartels

According to anonymous sources close to the White House cited by The New York Times, Trump’s order would allow U.S. armed forces to conduct overseas operations—both maritime and land-based—against groups such as Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), and the Soles Cartel, as well as Mexican cartels including the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), the Sinaloa Cartel, the Gulf Cartel, La Nueva Familia Michoacana, the Northeast Cartel (a splinter group of the Zetas), and Carteles Unidos, a coalition of criminal cells operating in southern Mexico.

These organizations were officially designated as terrorist groups by the U.S. State Department in February.

The New York Times reported that in April, Trump proposed to President Sheinbaum that the U.S. military be allowed to combat drug cartels on Mexican soil, but she rejected the idea.

Legal and Diplomatic Concerns

The executive order was issued without public announcement, and Pentagon officials are reportedly already drafting operational scenarios. Legal experts have raised concerns, warning that unilateral military actions outside of a Congressionally approved conflict could violate international law and be construed as “extrajudicial killings.”

The order provides a legal basis for direct U.S. military operations against cartels on foreign soil, with sources indicating that high-ranking U.S. military officials have begun planning such actions.

The move is framed as part of Trump’s broader crackdown on fentanyl trafficking, a synthetic opioid that Washington claims is primarily produced by Mexican cartels using Chinese precursor chemicals. The U.S. is currently grappling with a severe overdose crisis linked to the drug.

Sheinbaum’s Constitutional Initiative

In response to the U.S. designation of Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations, Sheinbaum proposed a constitutional reform to reinforce national sovereignty. The initiative, approved on March 11, amends Article 40 to explicitly reject any foreign intervention—political, military, or territorial—and toughens penalties under Article 19 for illegal arms trafficking, particularly when linked to foreign actors.

The reform was intended to preempt any justification for unilateral U.S. action in Mexico.

Historical Precedents: The DEA’s Operation in Mexico

The case of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, has drawn comparisons to the 1985 abduction of Dr. Humberto Álvarez Machain, a Guadalajara gynecologist accused by U.S. authorities of aiding in the torture of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena.

Álvarez Machain was forcibly taken to the U.S. by Mexican police and DEA agents, leading to a diplomatic crisis. Although acquitted due to insufficient evidence, his case resulted in a U.S.-Mexico treaty prohibiting cross-border abductions.

Zambada, arrested in El Paso, Texas, on July 25, 2024, claims he was deceived and kidnapped by Joaquín Guzmán López, son of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, before being handed over to U.S. authorities. His defense argues the transfer violated the treaty established after the Álvarez Machain case.

Ongoing Tensions

Both cases highlight the legal and diplomatic complexities of cross-border law enforcement operations. While Mexico has rejected U.S. military intervention, it has cooperated in extraditing cartel leaders and combating drug trafficking.

The Trump administration’s latest move underscores escalating tensions over how to address transnational organized crime while respecting national sovereignty.