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LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

A daily publication Of the dialogue

December 4, 2025

Will the U.S. Expand Military Action to Mexico & Colombia?

Amid tensions with Venezuela, U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed openness to military action in Mexico and Colombia. U.S. Marines are pictured conducting drills aboard the U.S.S. Iwo Jima in September. // File Photo: U.S. Marine Corps, Sgt. Tanner Bernat.

Q

  • U.S. President Donald Trump said on Nov. 17 that he is “open” to launching military operations against criminal organizations in Mexico and Colombia, a proposal he has repeated since his campaign and one that comes amid a U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum swiftly rejected the idea, insisting that Mexico “will not accept foreign intervention,” while Colombian President Gustavo Petro also dismissed the possibility. How likely is the Trump administration to pursue military action in the region beyond Venezuela? What’s behind Sheinbaum’s forceful rejection of Trump’s suggestion of U.S. military operations on Mexican territory? What does the exchange reveal about the dynamics of the relationship between Trump and Sheinbaum?

A

Albert “Jim” Marckwardt, founder and administrator of the Latin American Studies Initiative at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies: “President Trump’s suggestion that he is open to launching military operations against criminal organizations in Mexico and Colombia must be evaluated on two levels: national political incentives and regional political realities. Domestically, a more aggressive security posture may appeal to segments of Trump’s base and could be framed as a decisive action ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Yet, recent polling indicates that negative attitudes toward migration have softened since Trump returned to office, suggesting limited electoral payoff from escalating regional militarization. Mexico’s President Sheinbaum has rejected such propositions, declaring that Mexico will not accept foreign intervention…”

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