Trump Pushes for U.S. Troops in Mexico After Venezuela Coup

President Trump wants to put U.S. boots on the ground in Mexico to fight drug cartels, once again reinforcing his complete disregard for the concept of state sovereignty.

According to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, Trump has been pushing for “the participation of U.S. forces,” even though Mexico says it’s not necessary.

Nonetheless, The New York Times has reported that the Trump administration prefers to send either Special Forces (green berets) or CIA officers to join Mexican forces while they raid suspected fentanyl labs. Trump first made the request early last year but raised the idea again after the U.S. military abducted Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela.

The Mexican government remains staunchly opposed to the proposition.

“We have highly trained army units and special forces,” Mexico’s national security chief, Omar García Harfuch, said last month. “What would they be needed for? … What we need is information.” Harfuch has overseen what he says is a fourfold crackdown on labs and cartels since Sheinbaum came into power.

This has been a long time coming. Trump has floated bombing and invading Mexico repeatedly since returning to office, and has certainly been emboldened by the brazen kidnapping of Maduro. Now, as he sets his eyes on Mexico, the popularity and legitimacy of Sheinbaum and her administration hang in the balance.