Pentagon Chief Not Ruling Out Military Action Against Mexican Drug Cartels

Mexican drug cartels and two transnational gangs were recently designated foreign terrorist organizations.
Pentagon Chief Not Ruling Out Military Action Against Mexican Drug Cartels
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks with the media during his first official arrival at the Pentagon in Washington on Jan. 27, 2025. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
Jack Phillips
Jack Phillips
Breaking News Reporter
|Updated:
0:00

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday that the Trump administration is not ruling out military action against Mexican drug cartels after they were declared foreign terrorist organizations earlier this month.

“Ultimately, we will hold nothing back to secure the American people,” Hegseth said in a Fox News interview in response to a question from “Fox and Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade about whether the military would strike a cartel organization inside Mexico if those organizations targeted Americans at the U.S.–Mexico border.
Jack Phillips
Jack Phillips
Breaking News Reporter
Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter who covers a range of topics, including politics, U.S., and health news. A father of two, Jack grew up in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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