Citing two serving and two retired U.S. officials, NBC reported that the Trump administration has begun preliminary training for a mission designed to dismantle major drug networks operating across the U.S.-Mexico border. While the final decision to send troops has not yet been made, officials said discussions are underway regarding the mission’s scope and legal authority to act on Mexican soil.

The plan reportedly includes provisions for airstrikes and drone operations targeting drug laboratories and cartel leaders. Officials suggested that drone missions would require on-ground coordination, raising questions about the extent of American involvement inside Mexico.

The move follows the State Department’s February designation of six Mexican cartels, along with the MS-13 gang and Venezuela’s “Tren de Aragua,” as foreign terrorist organizations — a step that gives U.S. forces and intelligence agencies broader powers to conduct covert operations abroad. Trump has previously said he authorized CIA action in Venezuela and would not hesitate to target cartels directly if national security demanded it.

Drug trafficking from Mexico remains a critical issue for the United States. Cartels continue to flood the country with cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl, fueling addiction and thousands of deaths each year. However, any U.S. troop deployment would mark the first in Mexico in over a century — since General John Pershing’s 1916 expedition against revolutionary Pancho Villa — a move likely to trigger diplomatic tensions with Mexico City