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President Donald Trump said on Monday he would consider authorizing missile strikes inside Mexico as part of his administration’s efforts to curb drug smuggling operations into the United States.
The administration has already focused much of its anti-cartel campaign on alleged drug trafficking boats from Venezuela, conducting more than 20 strikes that officials say have killed over 80 alleged narco-terrorists.
President Trump said he is prepared to take additional action if it would reduce the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have died from fentanyl overdoses in recent years, including nearly 100,000 last year.
“Would I launch strikes into Mexico to stop drugs? It’s okay with me. Whatever we have to do to stop drugs,” President Trump told reporters. He said there are “big problems” in Mexico City but did not say whether he would seek approval from the Mexican government before ordering such an operation.
The remarks follow an NBC News report earlier this month that the administration is weighing whether to send American intelligence officers and troops into Mexico to combat drug cartels. No final decision has been made, and the administration has not publicly confirmed whether any ground deployment is under consideration.
Trump also said he would be open to targeting cocaine production sites in Colombia. “Colombia has cocaine factories where they make cocaine. Would I knock out those factories?” he said. “I didn’t say I’m doing it, but I’d be proud to do it. Because we’re going to save millions of lives by doing it.”
The words follow a February act by the Trump administration to designate six Mexican cartel groups as terrorist groups.
“Terrorist designations expose and isolate entities and individuals, denying them access to the U.S. financial system and the resources they need to carry out attacks. As a result of actions taken today, all property and interests in property of those designated today that are in the United States or that are in possession or control of a U.S. person are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them,” the State Department stated in a news release at the time.
