The U.S. military has secured permission from Guatemala to launch collaborative strikes against drug cartels within its borders, according to The New York Times.
Guatemala is the Latin American nation to authorize domestic U.S. military actions against cartels, following a precedent established by Ecuador earlier this year.
According to sources cited by The Times, the agreement with Guatemala includes airstrikes and other military operations. The terms were greenlit during a telephone conversation last week between President Bernardo Arévalo and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Joint operations are projected to launch as early as next month.
Drug-trafficking organizations are active in many parts of Guatemala, especially near borders, according to the State Department. By one estimate, 90% of cocaine smuggled into the U.S. moves through Guatemala.
US campaign expands closer to Mexico
The agreement would expand the Trump administration’s military campaign against drug gangs and move U.S. operations closer to Mexico.
To combat regional syndicates, the administration launched the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition, drawing participation from 17 Latin American nations. According to The Times, Washington is utilizing its agreements in Guatemala as leverage, hoping to pressure Mexico into agreeing to similar bilateral narcotics operations.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has firmly resisted Washington’s requests for drone deployments and American boots on the ground.
What Guatemala and US officials said
Arévalo’s office confirmed that Guatemala formally requested “cooperation in operations led by Guatemalan security forces against drug trafficking organizations” in a letter to Hegseth. The president’s team acknowledged a May 19 phone call to iron out the arrangement, though they declined to provide operational specifics.
President Donald Trump told conservative Latin American leaders in Florida in March that the U.S. military is “knocking the hell out of them where we can, and we’re going to go heavier.”
The White House has designated over a dozen regional groups as foreign terrorist organizations and surged military assets into Latin America.
Ecuador becomes the regional model
Ecuador has reportedly become the model for the Trump administration’s regional counter-drug strategy. Earlier this year, U.S. Southern Command announced a joint offensive against “Designated Terrorist Organizations,” a move the Pentagon framed as a major new phase in the drug fight.
Under the arrangement, American Special Forces help train and plan tactical assaults with Ecuadorian commandos, though U.S. officials clarify that American personnel are restricted to advisory and intelligence-sharing roles.
However, the operations have faced early complications; an investigation revealed that a March strike mistakenly hit a cattle and dairy farm, rather than the drug trafficking compound defense officials had described.
Guatemala timing and legal risks
The Pentagon’s next objective is securing a similar operational green light from Honduras, The Times reports. However, people familiar with the negotiations say the majority of coalition nations are reluctant to allow Pentagon strikes on their soil due to concerns over domestic political fallout.
The planned expansion could also deepen legal scrutiny over the U.S. military’s role in counterdrug strikes. Brian Finucane, a former State Department lawyer, warned that further attacks could amount to “premeditated killings outside of armed conflict.”
He noted Congress has not authorized the strikes and that U.S. personnel could face consequences later.
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