US declares Mexican cartels terrorist organizations, Musk floats drone strikes

The State Department has declared several Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations, with Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) leader Elon Musk floating the idea of drone strikes against the groups.

In a release Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he is designating the cartels Tren de Aragua, Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), Cartel de Sinaloa, Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, Carteles Unidos, Cartel del Noreste, Cartel del Golfo, and La Nueva Familia Michoacana, as terrorist groups, a move that President Trump had pledged on the campaign trail and laid the groundwork for with an executive action his first day in office.

“That means they’re eligible for drone strikes,” Musk, a senior Trump adviser, posted on his social platform X.

Rubio’s designation is the latest Trump administration move to crack down on immigration and fentanyl flowing into the country, though it is not currently clear what direct penalties the organizations could face, financially or otherwise.

Trump has promised to put tariffs on Mexican goods, but he and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum have agreed to hold the plan for at least one month as 10,000 Mexican soldiers head to the U.S. border to aid in Trump's crackdown.

Direct U.S. military action against groups on Mexican soil could be interpreted as an act of war.

"What we do not accept is the violation of our sovereignty," Sheinbaum reportedly said Wednesday in response to news of the terror designation.

In his book "A Sacred Oath: Memoirs of a Secretary of Defense During Extraordinary Times," former Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Trump sought Defense Department advice on launching missiles into Mexico during his first term but was talked down.

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