After Maduro Operation, Trump Signals Land Strikes Against Mexico’s Drug Cartels

Days after the dramatic US military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan leftist leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Donald Trump has signalled a major escalation in Washington’s approach to organised crime across the southern border. The US President has now openly stated that American forces will begin carrying out land strikes against drug cartels operating in Mexico.

In his first sit-down interview following the Maduro operation, Trump told Fox News that the United States had already seen “maximum success” by targeting cartel operations at sea in the eastern Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean. According to him, the next phase would involve direct land-based action.

“We are going to start now hitting land with regard to the cartels,” Trump said, claiming that criminal organisations had effectively taken control of Mexico. “The cartels are running Mexico. It’s very sad to watch what’s happened to that country.”

Trump further alleged that cartel-linked narcotics were responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths annually in the United States, asserting that between 250,000 and 300,000 Americans were dying every year due to drugs trafficked across the border.

The remarks come amid heightened regional tensions following Washington’s unprecedented military action in Venezuela. Soon after Maduro’s capture, Trump had hinted that Mexico could be next, sparking alarm across Latin America.

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum responded with her strongest public rebuke yet of US interventionism. While acknowledging cooperation against organised crime, Sheinbaum firmly rejected any foreign military action on Mexican soil.

“We categorically reject intervention in the internal affairs of other countries,” she said, warning that Latin America’s history clearly shows that external military interventions have never delivered democracy, stability or prosperity.

Despite this, Trump revealed that he has repeatedly urged Sheinbaum to allow American troops to operate inside Mexico to dismantle the cartels — proposals she has consistently turned down.

“I’ve asked her numerous times, ‘Would you like us to take out the cartels?’ And she says no,” Trump said. “So we have to do something.”

Security analysts warn that any US land strikes inside Mexico would represent a seismic shift in bilateral relations. Such action could be interpreted as a violation of sovereignty, potentially triggering diplomatic retaliation, internal unrest and large-scale displacement of civilians.

Experts also caution that direct military engagement could fuel migration pressure toward the US border, destabilise already volatile regions, and strengthen cartel recruitment rather than weaken it.

While Trump’s supporters argue that decisive force is needed to combat drug trafficking and fentanyl deaths, critics say the rhetoric risks pushing the region toward a dangerous confrontation, particularly in the aftermath of the Venezuela operation.

With Mexico rejecting foreign intervention and Washington signalling escalation, the situation now appears poised at a delicate and potentially explosive crossroads.