JD Vance Walks Back Threats To Mexico, Says U.S. Won't Invade Despite Designating Cartels as Terrorist Organizations

Vice President JD Vance said during a visit to the U.S.-Mexico border that the United States does not plan to unilaterally use military force in Mexico despite President Donald Trump's recent decision to designate certain drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.

"I'm not going to make any announcements about any invasions of Mexico here today," Vance said, adding that:

"The president has a megaphone and of course, he'll speak to these issues as he feels necessary. But what designating cartel organizations allows us to do is deploy the full resources of the United States military to engage in serious border enforcement"

When pressed further by reporters on if an invasion was really coming, he stated: "No. Next question." He later referred to cartels again when being pressed on the issue of Trump's tariffs on Mexico:

"I actually think he's doing a huge favor to the people of Mexico because, if they don't get control of these cartels, the people of Mexico are going to wake up in a narco state, where the cartels have more power than their own government"

Trump's designation of cartels as terrorist organizations has led to speculation about potential military action against them carried out unilaterally by the U.S. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has rejected the notion, calling it "entirely a movie" back when the idea was reported in November, adding that Mexico will "always defend its sovereignty."

She also touched on the subject during her first press conference after cartels were officially designated as terrorist organizations in February, stating that the designation "cannot be an opportunity for the US to invade our sovereignty" adding that any approach to the such matters in Mexico should be based on "collaboration and coordination, never subordination or interventionism, and even less invasion."

Vance's visit to Eagle Pass, Texas, on Wednesday follows a sharp decline in illegal border crossings, which Vance attributed to Trump's directive that all government agencies prioritize border control. Accompanying Vance were Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, highlighting the administration's approach.

"The border crisis has become a matter of national intelligence and requires the Department of Defense to engage," Vance said, with Hegseth adding that "the Defense Department has assets that we can bring to bear, not just troops, not just surveillance, not just equipment, but actual planning and capabilities that enhance what Border Patrol is already doing."