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OPINION:
Never assume President Trump is bluffing. The consummate dealmaker is not afraid to do what his predecessors never dared. That’s why he’s now taking on the drug cartels as part of the “Make America Great Again” crusade.
The Mexican Senate just granted permission for elite U.S. Special Forces teams to enter Mexico and train its operators in tactics appropriate for battling gangsters with the equipment and preparation of a national army. Such missions have happened in the past, but this time is different.
On his first day as president, Mr. Trump branded the cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. The designation opens the potential for extreme measures against the criminal syndicates, which rely on violence to keep politicians from interfering with their sprawling enterprises. The raids that do happen across the border are just for show.
When asked on Inauguration Day whether he would dispatch U.S. troops to Mexico, Mr. Trump coyly responded, “Could happen. Stranger things have happened.”
It seems more likely by the day. The Air Force’s sophisticated Rivet Joint intelligence-gathering planes have been openly flying patrols off northwest Mexico, home to the Sinaloa Cartel. The venerable U-2 spy plane has been keeping watch along the border.
The high-tech snooping missions suggest preparation for U.S. involvement beyond mere training exercises. Unlike our recent overseas entanglements, the border situation affects American lives. Our military would be taking on the bandits responsible for sneaking millions of illegal aliens into our country.
Cartel del Noreste associates often advertise “transportation services” on social media platforms such as Facebook. Those looking to cross into our country are expected to pay these “coyotes” thousands of dollars to guide them across our unguarded border — or else. Attempting to cross a cartel’s territory without permission can have fatal consequences.
Human smuggling boomed under President Biden’s open-border policies, generating billions in illicit profit. This helped the cartels diversify their portfolio of villainy, which already included kidnapping, running narcotics labs and transporting fentanyl, cocaine and meth into U.S. cities.
After some gentle nudging from Mr. Trump, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum agreed to act. She transferred 10,000 of her troops to help guard her side of the border. The soldiers have arrived, but they can do only so much. Cartels have notoriously infiltrated all levels of that country’s government.
Even border towns in the United States aren’t immune. In a recent interview with Tucker Carlson, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said the district attorneys funded by George Soros in the area don’t prosecute cartels: “The message from Soros is, let as much crime go as possible.”
It remains to be seen whether the White House green lights airstrikes against the manufacturing facilities and mansions belonging to cartel leaders. Perhaps he may authorize boots on the ground to conduct covert hits against the criminal infrastructure with the intention of persuading the crime bosses to take up a line of business that doesn’t involve the United States.
In case Mr. Trump doesn’t want to go that far, Rep. Tim Burchett, Tennessee Republican, offered legislation Wednesday reviving letters of marque and reprisal. This dormant constitutional power allows Congress to commission private military forces to “seize persons and property of any cartel, cartel member or cartel-linked organization,” he said.
Now that there’s a leader in Washington willing to stand up to these outlaws, the cartels will eventually realize it’s time to cut their losses. The question is: How much pummeling is required to deliver the message?
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