Pete Hegseth drew a line in the sand with Mexico.
He made it clear that the gloves were coming off.
And Pete Hegseth issued this dire warning to Mexican officials that left them with a sinking feeling.
Mexican officials warned about potential military action inside their country
President Donald Trump is playing hardball with Mexico to get the country to do its part to stem the flow of drugs and illegal aliens at the southern border.
The Trump administration has warned that military action against the Mexican drug cartels was on the table.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told Fox & Friends that “all options will be on the table” when asked about using military force in Mexico.
Hegseth held a call with top officials in the Mexican military where he gave them a simple choice.
He told them that if the Mexican government didn’t take steps to remove the cartels’ influence, then the United States was prepared to take military action inside the country.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Mexican military officials were outraged at Hegseth.
A Department of Defense readout of the call stated that Hegseth “underscored that his top priority is to safeguard the United States and its citizens, to include securing the southern border.”
“The Secretary highlighted the importance of Mexico’s armed forces continuing to disrupt cartel activities that threaten the United States, and for Mexico to continue taking steps to curb illegal migration into the United States,” the readout added. “In both calls, the Secretary and his Mexican counterparts reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation between our militaries.”
Threats begin to get results with Mexico
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has scoffed at the heavy-handed tactics used by Trump.
But there’s evidence that they’re bearing fruit.
Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente announced that top Sinaloa Cartel leader Rafael Caro Quintero and 29 other alleged cartel members would be extradited to the United States.
Quintero was allegedly involved in the 1985 murder of DEA agent Enrique Camarena.
“As President Trump has made clear, cartels are terrorist groups, and this Department of Justice is devoted to destroying cartels and transnational gangs,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement.
Sheinbaum deployed 10,000 members of the Mexican National Guard to the border after Trump threatened to place a 25% tariff on every good imported from the country.
Trump followed through with placing the 25% tariff on Mexican goods after he said the country didn’t do enough to secure the border.
“Drugs are still pouring into our Country from Mexico and Canada at very high and unacceptable levels,” Trump wrote on Truth Social
He warned that the tariffs would remain in place until the flow of drugs declines.
The threat of unilateral military action struck a nerve with Mexican officials.
Hegseth reiterated that nothing is being ruled out by Trump.
“We’re taking nothing off the table. Nothing,” Hegseth said about military strikes in Mexico.
Donald Trump is turning the heat up on Mexico to force the country to take action cracking down on the cartels and securing the border.
Stay tuned to Unmuzzled News for any updates to this ongoing story.
