Trump’s Bold Border Hit: Cartels on the Run
The Mexican drug cartels are sweating bullets. Trump’s new border security crackdown means business. These criminals aren’t used to being pushed around like this.
The New York Times recently ran a report that’s almost strangely sympathetic. But make no mistake: these cartels have terrorized communities in Mexico and the U.S. Now, with the U.S. military stepping in, they’re scrambling to survive.
From the NYT:
One cartel leader says he’s trying to figure out how to protect his family in case the American military strikes inside Mexico. Another says he’s already gone into hiding, rarely leaving his home. Two young men who produce fentanyl for the cartel say they have shut down all their drug labs.
A barrage of arrests, drug seizures and lab busts by the Mexican authorities in recent months has struck the behemoth Sinaloa Cartel, according to Mexican officials and interviews with six cartel operatives, forcing at least some of its leaders to scale back on fentanyl production in Sinaloa state, their stronghold.
The cartels have sown terror across Mexico and caused untold damage in the United States. But here in Culiacán, the state capital, the dynamic seems to be shifting, at least for now. Cartel operatives say they’ve had to move labs to other areas of the country or temporarily shut down production.
“You can’t be calm, you can’t even sleep, because you don’t know when they’ll catch you,” said one high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel who, like other cartel operatives, spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of capture.
“The most important thing now is to survive,” he added, his hands trembling.
Even the NYT report had us questioning if these hardened criminals were more like downtrodden locals pushed aside by corrupt officials. But the reality is harsher. Trump’s administration isn’t playing around. They declared the cartels terrorists and authorized military operations deep into cartel territory.
The report continued, noting that cartel members are selling off property and slashing staff to cope with a major dent in their fentanyl distribution network. As one security analyst said:
“Criminal groups have not felt this level of pressure in such a long time,” said Jaime López, a security analyst based in Mexico City.
In interviews, cartel operatives agreed. Some said they were selling off property and firing unessential personnel to make up for lost income from the dent in the fentanyl trade. Others said they were investing money in advanced equipment to detect American government drones, which the United States flew into Mexico during the Biden and Obama administrations as well.
Criminal organizations in Mexico have a long history of surviving efforts to dismantle them, or simply splintering off into new groups. But several operatives said that for the first time in years, they genuinely feared arrest or death at the hands of the authorities.
Trump’s State Department even designated transnational cartels, including groups like MS-13 and Tren de Aragua, as foreign terrorist organizations. With that move, the U.S. military ramped up its presence along the border—drones buzzing overhead and talk of airstrikes against high-level cartel figures.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth put it bluntly. He warned Mexico that the U.S. was ready to take “unilateral action” if the deadly flow of fentanyl and illegal migrants didn’t stop. “All options will be on the table,” he said.
In response, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum vowed to change the constitution to shield cartels from U.S. military reach. But according to The Times, the cartels aren’t waiting around. They’re stockpiling weapons, importing scanners to spot drones, and preparing for a direct showdown.
One operative wasn’t mincing words: “If a helicopter comes here and soldiers drop out, 20 or 30 of them, there’s no way we’d just sit here with our arms crossed.”
Some cartel members even hinted at the price of power. As noted in the NYT report:
“One cartel cell leader said he doubted that this new effort would seriously damage the cartel because the group could ensure its survival by bribing key officials,” the NYT reported.
“There are always weak points,” he said, “there are always loose ends we can get to.”
The NYT had raised eyebrows back in January with a piece titled “How Labeling Cartels ‘Terrorists’ Could Hurt the U.S. Economy.” They argued that these criminal networks were so deeply enmeshed in everyday business—from avocado farming to tourism—that it was hard to sever their ties entirely.
Meanwhile, in a last-minute diplomatic move, Mexico extradited 29 cartel members to the U.S. to keep Trump at bay and possibly avoid a 25% tariff hit. But that wasn’t enough. On Tuesday, Trump’s 25% tariffs against Mexico went into effect.
This isn’t just about drugs or border security—it’s about taking a stand against chaos. And for those who believe in strong borders and law enforcement, Trump’s no-nonsense approach is a reminder that when it comes to crime, there will be consequences. The cartels may be used to playing dirty, but now they’re in the crosshairs of an administration that means business.
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