Donald Trump plans to use special operations forces assassination squads to wage war on Mexican drug cartels if he's elected president.

Sourced to "three people who’ve discussed the matter with the former U.S. president." Rolling Stone, in what they think is a hit piece but which, in my view, amounts to a contribution to the Trump campaign and the GOP in general, asserts:

In some of these discussions, Trump has insisted that the U.S. military has “tougher killers than they do” and pondered why these assassination missions haven’t been done before, arguing that eliminating the heads of cartels would go a long way toward hobbling their operations and striking fear into the hearts of “the kingpins.”

The article notes that an idea that would have been considered radical a few years ago has now entered the Republican mainstream. Trump-friendly think tanks like the Center for Renewing America and America First Policy Institute have produced papers endorsing the concept. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis advocated this position during one of the GOP presidential primary debates on August 23, 2023, 

When asked whether he would support sending Special Forces into Mexico, DeSantis answered clearly: “Yes, and I will do it on day one.”

Here's the thing, the cartels are killing tens of thousands of our fellow citizens. Want to talk about a country in decline? You have the cartels controlling a lot of part of your Southern border? We have to reestablish the rule of law, and we have to defend our people. The president of the United States has got to use all available powers as commander in chief to protect our country and to protect the people.

About a quarter million US citizens die each year from overdoses of drugs brought into the US by Mexican cartels. This indirect cost is on top of the 30,000+ annual cartel-related murders.

Rolling Stone has been on a cartel protecting jag reminiscent of the Hamas simps on US college campuses celebrating the slaughter of Israeli civilians for a while. This is from a March story by the same reporter, Asawin Suebsaeng, titled Trump Asks Advisers for ‘Battle Plans’ to ‘Attack Mexico’ if Reelected. In it, he reports that what may have been a fringe position at some point in the past — underscore the word "may" — has a lot of support among Republicans who might be considered RINOs by a lot of us.

Republican congressmen Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) and Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) announced legislation to authorize the use of military force against fentanyl trafficking cartels in Mexico. The move garnered support from Trump’s former attorney general Bill Barr, who penned an approving op-ed in the Wall Street Journal. Pro-Trump House members like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) have echoed these ideas, as well.

In the Senate, Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and John Kennedy (R-La.) announced their own legislation, which would “give the military the authority to go after these organizations wherever they exist,” prompting Mexico’s president Lopez Obrador to brand the legislation as “irresponsible” and “an offense to the people of Mexico.” In a brief phone interview on Wednesday, Graham tells Rolling Stone that though he “would like to work with Mexico” and that having the U.S. State Department designate the cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations would be his preferred method, he is “put[ting] AUMF on the table as a potential,” violent fallback. Graham adds he doesn’t recall discussing this issue with Trump specifically, though “I understood he wanted to take on the fentanyl labs.”

BACKGROUND: Bipartisan Bill Would Declare Fentanyl a National Security Threat, Allow Pentagon to Take out Cartels 

I know the Trump fans who are crying about "forever war" when we help Ukraine defend itself from Russian aggression will be upset that their preferred candidate is considering embarking on another war with possibly unachievable objectives, but I think adopting a strategy the Romans used to defend the frontiers of the Empire makes a lot of sense.

When Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador took office in December 2018, the CIA concluded that drug groups controlled about 20 percent of Mexican territory. By 2022, the US Northern Command concluded that up to 35 percent of Mexico was under direct control of drug cartels. That does not seem like success. If that trend line continues, Mexico will be a narco-state within four years. The drug cartels directly employ about 170,000 people, making it that nation's fifth largest employer. If you consider people who make a living supplying goods and services to the cartels, they are probably the most significant economic engine in Mexico.

For his part, Obrador seems to have thrown in the towel. He argues that drugs are a US problem, not a Mexican problem.

Over the years, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has laid out various justifications for his “hugs, not bullets” policy of avoiding clashes with the cartels. In the past he has said “you cannot fight violence with violence,” and on other occasions he has argued the government has to address “the causes” of drug cartel violence, ascribing them to poverty or a lack of opportunities.

But on Friday, while discussing his refusal to go after the cartels, he made it clear he viewed it as part of what he called a “Mexico First” policy.

“We are not going to act as policemen for any foreign government,” López Obrador said at his daily news briefing. “Mexico First. Our home comes first.”

In a speech only two weeks ago, Obrador characterized the drug cartels as "strange, but respectful" folks who "respect the citizenry."

BACKGROUND:

Biden Makes Huge Gaffe on Fentanyl, WH Rushes to Clean Up as He Flees for More Vacation 

Joe Biden Promised to End the Fentanyl Crisis. It's Only Grown Worse 

Biden's Cruel Chuckle Is Exactly Why the Fentanyl Crisis Will Continue

The Fentanyl Problem Is Growing More Deadly Amid Migrant Crisis

Our southern border is with a failed state. Its government can't enforce its laws, and it isn't a useful partner for keeping our border secure. Where the law ends, lawlessness flourishes. The situation here is no different from piracy in the 17th-century Caribbean or the activities of the reivers of the Anglo-Scottish Marches in the 13th to 17th centuries. While military action will not eradicate the drug trade, it can reduce its volume and the level of sophistication of the drug cartels. 

Rather than haplessly wringing our hands while having our lips firmly attached to Chinese President Xi Jinping's butt or whatever, we can use the doctrine of Hostis humani generis to raise the cost of doing business for drug cartels and staunch the slaughter of millions of Americans in the process.