Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Monday reportedly declined to rule out the use of American military force against Mexican drug cartels, underscoring the Trump administration’s growing willingness to confront the criminal organizations it has formally designated as terrorist threats.
The comments came days after The New York Times reported that President Donald J. Trump had directed Hegseth to develop plans for striking the cartels — a move aimed at halting the flow of narcotics, human trafficking, and violence across the southern border.
According to the Times, military officials have already begun preparing options for how the United States could “go after the groups,” citing people familiar with internal discussions.
Hegseth, a former Army officer and Fox News host, appeared on Fox News’s The Ingraham Angle, where host Laura Ingraham referenced both the Times report and the declaration by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum that U.S. forces were not welcome in her country.
“What is your target, and how deep into Mexico do you intend to go?” Ingraham asked.
Hegseth would not confirm the details reported by the Times, criticizing the newspaper’s decision to publish them. “I wish they had a little bit more commitment to patriotism to the country about what they report on a whole slew of levels,” he said. “Material like that, true or not, should never be released. Ultimately, the president ran on designating these organizations as foreign terrorist organizations.”
He condemned the cartels’ activities in stark terms. “Where appropriate, when given the opportunity, when it makes sense, at the directive of the president, we will take action to defend the American people,” Hegseth said.
When pressed on whether such action might involve U.S. troops crossing into Mexico, Hegseth demurred. “I can’t reveal anything, but I’m not tipping my hand that there will be U.S. troops in Mexico,” he said. “That’s not what I’m saying.”
Still, he made clear that the Pentagon sees a role for itself in addressing the cartel threat. “If you’re trafficking in drugs, trafficking in people, you’re trafficking in violence that affect the American people, that’s unacceptable, and the Defense Department’s gonna be a part of solving that,” Hegseth said.
The administration’s posture reflects a shift in the longstanding U.S. approach toward Mexican cartels, which have long been treated as law enforcement problems rather than national security threats.
By designating them as foreign terrorist organizations, the Trump administration has signaled that it sees their activities as a direct assault on American sovereignty — and therefore subject to the same military and intelligence measures used against overseas terror networks.
In February, Hegseth reportedly warned Mexican leaders that U.S. military action could be on the table if their government failed to rein in cartel violence.
That warning, combined with the latest remarks, is likely to intensify debate over how far the United States should go in acting unilaterally to secure its southern border.
For conservatives, Hegseth’s stance reinforces the administration’s message that the days of tolerating cartel impunity are over. The question now is not whether the United States will act — but how.
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