On the Danger of U.S. Military Intervention in Mexico
The threats are escalating. On July 16, U.S. President Donald Trump declared that the U.S. must intervene in Mexico because drug cartels have "tremendous control" over Mexico, politicians, the people, and elected officials. The statement was made at the signing ceremony for the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act (HALT). At the White House, Trump said he is "trying to play nice," but the reality is that "the cartels have very strong control over Mexico" and stressed that "we can't let that happen." Earlier, on July 4, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico stated: "We are fully committed to dismantling transnational criminal organizations and drug trafficking networks." Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi included Mexico on the list of U.S. enemies alongside Iran, China, and Russia. For his part, Eric Trump told Fox News: "If Mexico -- let's just say that's the scenario -- fired rockets at the United States, I think they'd be decapitated in about four seconds flat."
Since last February, U.S. Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth has stated that "all options are on the table" and has not ruled out military action against cartels in Mexico. Thus, the drums of war are beating.
On July 4, President Trump imposed a 17.09 per cent tariff on Mexican tomato imports. He threatened to impose a 30 per cent tariff on imports from Mexico to the United States starting August 1. However, on July 31, a bilateral agreement was reached to suspend the tariffs for 90 days. Trump argues that these measures were necessary to force cooperation to fight the U.S. crisis caused by fentanyl consumption and the country's bilateral trade deficit. If for any reason he decides to increase his tariffs, then whatever figure he chooses to increase them by will be added to the 30 per cent general tariffs. Meanwhile, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in May that deaths from fentanyl decreased by 27 per cent in 2024. According to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, seizures of this narcotic in states such as Baja California, Sonora, Sinaloa and Tamaulipas, under "Operation Northern Border," have led to significant progress in the fight against drugs. This refutes Trump's arguments.
Trump's threats have been repeated over the years. In February 2017, he offered Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto military forces to fight "bad men" in Mexico if the Mexican army did not do so.
This January, on his first day in office of his second term, Trump approved an executive order designating Mexican drug cartels as "terrorist" organizations. Later, when questioned by journalists in the Oval Office, he stated that he did not rule out military intervention in Mexican territory to combat organized crime: "If Mexico needs or requests help... the United States is ready, willing, and able to get involved... sometimes you need an army to defeat an army." Weeks later, he mentioned being willing to "go in and clean up" drug cartels in Mexico and was working on designating them as "terrorist" organizations. On July 24 last year, he stated that "the cartels run Mexico," that the Mexican government is "petrified" by them and that "they'll take out a president in two minutes." On February 18, 2025, he declared: "Mexico is largely ruled by the cartels... if they wanted help, we would give it to them," having repeatedly pointed out that the U.S. considers these groups "terrorist" organizations.
Help? Recently, without consulting Mexico, the U.S. made a deal with Ovidio Guzmán, son of drug lord El Chapo Guzmán, which was criticized by President Sheinbaum. In addition, Mexican drug trafficker Ismael Mayo Zambada "appeared" in Texas, was arrested in El Paso in July 2024, and Mexico was not given any information, according to former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. On August 18, 2025, the U.S. said he has now agreed to switch his plea to guilty, though specific charges were not listed. Again, with Mexico having no say.
This year, on April 16, in a phone call, Trump insisted on his offer to President Sheinbaum to deploy troops to "help" if requested. Sheinbaum declared, "Sovereignty is not for sale," and maintained, "collaboration yes, military intervention no." Since 2025, Trump has intensified measures such as designating cartels as "terrorist" organizations, drone surveillance, and troop deployment at the border, and hinted at possible more aggressive actions if Mexico did not cooperate in the fight against fentanyl and migration.
President Sheinbaum has categorically refused to allow intervention,
emphasizing: "coordination yes, collaboration yes, subordination no."
The U.S. uses the issue of drug trafficking as the best excuse to intervene in other countries. It is well known that the root of the problem lies in the United States, where they buy the drugs, distribute them throughout a territory five times larger than Mexico, sell weapons to the various cartels, launder the money, and promote drug use and control the business. All of this is directed from the highest political and economic spheres.
A military intervention by the United States cannot be ruled out; that would be to ignore history. In 1835, the U.S. supported the fight against Mexico, with Texas seizing our land and declaring itself an independent Republic of Texas in 1836. The U.S. then annexes Texas in 1845. In 1846, the U.S. invaded us to take more than half of Mexican territory, covering 4.5 million square kilometres, leaving us with 1.9 million square kilometres. In 1914, they invaded Veracruz for seven months. And in 1916, to pursue Pancho Villa, they invaded our territory under the command of General John Pershing, who would later command the U.S. army during World War I, in addition to countless border incursions and various occupations.
The history of the United States is one of constant intervention, around 400 throughout its history, with 55 countries invaded, countless coups d'état, dozens of regime change operations, and since World War II alone, it has undertaken more than 30 invasions and installed 800 military bases around the world.
The terrorist methods of the U.S. are there for all to see. They launch surprise attacks, without declaring war, and without the permission of Congress, systematically violating international law, as was flagrantly demonstrated by the attacks on Iran by Israel (supported by the U.S.) on June 13 and then on June 20, when the U.S. also violated the airspace of other countries, such as Iraq, to attack Iran. It is noteworthy that the majority of the U.S. people disapproved of the attack.
Washington systematically violates the sovereignty of other countries, international law and the UN Charter. In fact, it disregards international laws in order to replace them with a "rules based order," which are nothing more than the rules dictated by U.S. imperialism at its whim, which go against anyone who defends their sovereignty and the interests of their people.
Armed intervention by the United States in Mexico is not imminent,
but it cannot be ruled out. The cost to Mexico's northern neighbor would
be enormous. Forty million people of Mexican origin live there and have
the support of tens of millions. In recent weeks, demonstrations have
taken place throughout the country: On June 14, many millions,
protesting in every state in the more than 2,000 "No Kings"
demonstrations, took to the streets of the U.S. to reject Trump's
policies. On Wednesday, July 17, more than 1,600 demonstrations were
held throughout the U.S. in rejection of the current government's
immigration policies, under the slogan: "Good Trouble Lives On." On
August 16, hundreds of actions in 44 states opposed Trump's impunity and
attacks on voting rights.
What the United States seeks is to subdue Mexico, not necessarily
with an armed incursion of its troops, but with political, economic, and
military interventionism. It seeks a puppet government that will
"voluntarily"
open its doors so that its army can control our territory. Let us not
forget that a process of military integration is underway that began
with the Fox administration, with the signing of the Alliance for
Security and Prosperity in North America (SPP) and the de facto
integration into the Northern Command. Then, the Calderón administration
had the Mérida Initiative with the U.S. in 2008. In addition to the
integration, for the first time in the history of our country, Mexican
forces participated in the UNITAS Gold military manoeuvres in 2009 in
Mayport, Florida, which earned the applause of the commander of the
Southern Command naval forces, Admiral Joseph Kernan. He praised
Mexico's presence as one of the most important strategic elements of the
naval exercises. Felipe Calderón allowed armed U.S. agents from their
intelligence agencies into Mexico to operate, as well as drone flights,
special forces, and the military base in San Salvador, Chachapa, Puebla,
disguised as a Police Training Academy, etc.
During Peña Nieto's six-year term, cooperation with the Northern Command was strengthened, and joint training of Mexican and U.S. armed forces, intelligence sharing, and joint surveillance were carried out. In May 2012, Mexico participated alongside the U.S. in exercises such as Ardent Sentry, no longer abroad but on Mexican territory, to "coordinate in the event of natural disasters." In 2014, the Jaguar Strike exercises began and participation in the UNITAS Pacific naval exercises continued. In 2015, Peña Nieto integrated Mexico into the UN Blue Helmets. These UN forces have a long history of acting against the people. They were complicit with the United States in 1953 in attacking north Korea; in 1994, this force abandoned the Tutsis to Hutu extermination; they joined the U.S. and NATO in attacking Yugoslavia in 1995 and 1999; Afghanistan in 2003; and invaded Haiti in 2004 and 2007, where they were accused of abuse, sexual exploitation and causing a cholera epidemic.
In the summer of 2018, Mexico participated in RIMPAC 2018 "Rim of the Pacific," the world's largest multinational naval exercise in Hawaii and amphibious exercise in California.
During the administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, military manoeuvres and exercises were carried out not only with the Northern Command, but also with the Southern Command. Mexico hosted the Tradewinds military manoeuvres in Quintana Roo for the first time since the exercise began in 1984.
When Joe Biden took office, his Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, immediately promoted the military integration of Mexico. He proposed that Mexico join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to "defend the region." He described the Mérida Initiative as involving real military interoperability: drones, joint special forces operating in Mexican cities, and training dependent on the U.S. military.
The military integration of North America, promoted by the PRI-PAN
coalition of political parties, led us to participate in military
manoeuvres with the United States. Today, that momentum continues.
Mexico hosted the Tradewinds military manoeuvres in Quintana Roo from
May 7 to 21, 2022, led by the Southern Command. The Mexican Navy from
February 28 to March 3, 2022, in Chiapas, participated in exercises of
the North American Maritime Security Initiative (NAMSI), at NAMSI
Pacific, led by the Northern Command. NAMSI is the tri-lateral military
forum involving Canada, Mexico, and the United States. It serves to
"strengthen operational effectiveness," meaning U.S. command of these
forces.
There were more military exercises such as Amalgam Eagle 2019 in Chihuahua and Jaguar Strike in the state of Temamatla, using weapons and equipment authorized by the Senate. From April 8 to May 16, 2024, the Joint Combined Exercise Training (JCET) was held in Chihuahua. Senators authorized the passage of a delegation of 220 personnel in the Fuerzas Amigas 2024 exercise, which took place in Ciudad Juárez, followed by the "Joint Combined Exercise Training" in Puerto Chiapas, Chiapas, from May 23 to June 25, 2024.
The Fuerzas Amigas exercise was then allowed to take place in Chihuahua between June 23 and 29, 2024. This was followed by the Joint Specialized Exercise 2024, held at the National Training Center in Santa Gertrudis, Chihuahua, from July 15 to August 3, 2024.
The Phoenix 2025 exercises were conducted between the United States Marine Corps Command and the Mexican Navy on Santa Margarita Island, Baja California Sur, Mexico, from March 23 to April 25.
Between May 27 and 28, 2025, at the Santa Gertrudis National Training Center in Chihuahua, senior military officials from both countries oversaw a joint exercise to reinforce the Logistics Support Agreement (ACSA) and binational interoperability.
In April 2025, there was a reported 200 per cent increase in Northern Command personnel deployed to the southern U.S. border, including some 8,500 troops and at least 40 military intelligence specialists supporting the Joint Intelligence Task Force–South Border. Although this does not imply a presence on Mexican soil, it is part of "shared regional coordination."
In June 2025, the Mexican secretaries of defense and the navy made an official visit to the NORAD and USNORTHCOM headquarters in Colorado "to strengthen" the bilateral security agenda in the face of shared regional threats.
U.S. intervention in Mexico has intensified since the administration of Carlos Salinas de Gortari, which began with economic integration, followed by political integration, and then military integration under Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderón. During the 2024 presidential campaign, opposition leaders openly called for U.S. intervention. The U.S. has worked constantly to gain total control of Mexico.
This is not a problem that has to do only with Trump; it is the
agenda of the U.S. empire toward Mexico. The current Mexican government
has put the brakes on, but there is a danger, as happened in Argentina
after the Kirchnerist governments, in Brazil with the victory of
Bolsonaro, in Ecuador
after the government of Rafael Correa, and in Peru after the coup
against Pedro Castillo, that a staunch supporter of the U.S. will come
to power and, without the need for military intervention, lead us to a
neocolonial situation similar to that suffered by Puerto Rico. Let us
never forget the
kind of neighbor we have. We cannot allow ourselves to be subordinated
to being part of the "North American region." We are a sovereign nation!
The transformation must be deepened and no backsliding allowed, which would be very dangerous. The way out for Mexico is to regain full sovereignty and independence. Economic sovereignty, achieving food self-sufficiency, industrial sovereignty, military sovereignty. Popular sovereignty with the mobilization and active participation of Mexicans in designing the country we want.
This article was published in
Volume 55 Number 7 - July-August 2025
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2025/Articles/MS55076.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca