War on Cartels and Latin American Military Campaigns

Trump stated in his inaugural address that he intends to take back the Panama Canal, calling it a "foolish gift" that should never have been made. Panama subsequently filed a letter to the United Nations citing articles of the U.N. charter that prohibit member states from using threats and force.

The U.S. designated six Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations as part of Trump's plan to wage war on drug trafficking to address the fentanyl crisis.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that she declined Trump's offer to deploy U.S. troops to target Mexican drug cartels, maintaining Mexico's sovereignty over military operations within its borders.

Trump confirmed he had asked Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum to allow U.S. military forces to enter Mexico to combat drug cartels. Sheinbaum rejected the offer, and her administration emphasized that communication with Trump remained 'very good.'

Mexico extradited 26 high-ranking cartel figures to the U.S. as part of an enforcement deal with the Trump administration aimed at cracking down on drug trafficking networks.

The Trump administration is questioning Colombia's efforts to combat cocaine production, with millions in military and development aid hanging in the balance pending Washington's assessment of the country's drug war performance.

The Trump administration claims the War Powers Law does not apply to its boat strike campaigns, arguing that a Vietnam-era law requiring congressional authorization to end deployments into hostilities after 60 days does not apply to airstrike operations.

A boat strike in the Caribbean Sea killed three people in the 15th announced strike by the administration in its campaign against vessels allegedly smuggling drugs, according to Defense Secretary Hegseth.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum denied reports that the U.S. will send troops to Mexico, stating she has repeatedly rejected such offers from Trump for the U.S. to confront Mexico's drug cartels.

The US designated Colombia's Gulf Clan, the country's largest drug cartel and a militia present in at least 20 Colombian departments, as a terrorist organization. Secretary of State Marco Rubio characterized the organization as 'violent and powerful' in the designation.

Trump told Mexico to 'step up' its efforts to combat cartels even after a military operation killed drug cartel boss Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as 'El Mencho,' triggering waves of violent retaliatory attacks across Mexico.

Trump assembled a coalition of Latin American and Caribbean nations at his Florida summit to combat armed drug trafficking groups, asking leaders to help the US military 'eradicate' cartels. Bolivia's president made a notable political realignment toward Washington.

The U.S. boat strike campaign in Colombian and Ecuadorian waters has killed over 200 people, with residents of coastal communities expressing concerns about the impact on livelihoods and ocean-based work.

Ismael Zambada García, the co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel known as 'El Mayo,' was sentenced to life in US prison after admitting to sending vast amounts of cocaine and other drugs to the United States. The sentencing concluded a major narcotics trafficking case in federal court.

Former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández, sentenced to 45 years in the US on drug trafficking charges, returned home after receiving a pardon from Trump.

The US announced $1 billion in security aid to Colombia as Trump-aligned president Abelardo de la Espriella was sworn in, pledging an 'all-out war' on narco-terrorism. De la Espriella replaces leftist Gustavo Petro and continues Latin America's rightward political shift.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that the International Criminal Court may investigate US boat strikes conducted in Latin America as part of the anti-cartel campaign. Hegseth stated Colombia has joined a regional military coalition and vowed to continue cartel operations.

The US military carried out a drone strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing two people alleged to be drug smugglers. The strike marks the latest in an ongoing campaign of boat strikes that has killed at least 223 people over nearly a year.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman urged President Trump twice on Thursday to launch military strikes against Houthi forces as the Iranian-backed group advanced toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial Red Sea chokepoint for global trade.

A U.N. human rights expert concluded that U.S. strikes on alleged drug boats in the Pacific and Caribbean—at least 68 strikes since September 2025 that killed over 230 people—could constitute crimes against humanity and violate international law. The expert said the attacks were not proportionate to claimed self-defence.

A UN expert warned that US boat strikes against alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific may constitute 'crimes against humanity,' with 223 people killed in 68 attacks over the past year. More than 70 lawmakers from across the Americas are calling for the strikes to end.

The Trump administration rallied a 'Shield of the Americas' coalition at the UN, with Latin American and Caribbean nations designating drug cartels as terrorist organizations at Trump's urging. Secretary of State Rubio said leaders had begun making the designations to help provide a rationale for potential military strikes.

A federal judge rejected the Trump administration's arguments to withhold a Justice Department memo authorizing the Pentagon's lethal boat strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific, requiring the document be released after the administration had sought to keep it secret.

The latest US military strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean killed four people. The UN warned that such boat strikes in the counter-drug war may violate international law and human rights principles.

Saudi Arabia's Riyadh airport was struck twice by Houthi missiles in two days, killing at least 13 people. Trump said the US "may" join Saudi strikes on Houthis, marking potential escalation of US military involvement in the Yemen conflict amid the broader Middle East war.

Families of at least 239 Trinidadian men killed in US boat strikes off the Caribbean demanded accountability, calling the operations extrajudicial killings conducted by the Trump administration.