GOP Candidates Advocate Military Force Against Mexico to Counter Fentanyl Crisis; Experts Disagree on Efficacy

Several Republican presidential candidates have proposed using military force against Mexico as a solution to the fentanyl crisis. Ron DeSantis, for instance, has advocated for lethal action against suspected drug traffickers at the U.S.-Mexico border, while Nikki Haley proposes deploying American special forces into Mexican territory. Vivek Ramaswamy has criticized Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador for his leniency towards drug cartels, vowing to take a more aggressive stance if elected.

Donald Trump, who has long shaped Republican rhetoric on border issues and remains the party’s leading candidate for the 2024 nomination, also calls for new military and covert actions against Mexico if he returns to the White House.

This aggressive posture towards Mexico has found favor among some American families devastated by fentanyl overdoses, who feel that current U.S. policy has inadequately addressed the opioid crisis. In 2021 alone, over 75,000 people in the United States succumbed to synthetic opioid overdoses—a figure more than twenty-fold higher than it was a decade ago.

However, policy analysts and non-partisan experts caution against using military force, arguing that it will neither effectively stop drug trafficking nor address the root causes of the crisis. They also warn that such measures could exacerbate existing racial and xenophobic tensions.

Arturo Sarukhan, who served as Mexico’s ambassador to the U.S. from 2007 to 2013, describes the situation as highly volatile, citing both the bellicose rhetoric from U.S. politicians and López Obrador’s lack of cooperation as contributing factors.

Andrea Thomas, who lost her 32-year-old daughter to a fentanyl overdose, founded Voices for Awareness to advocate for more aggressive action. Thomas and other advocacy groups have written to presidential candidates, urging them to take comprehensive steps to halt the production and trafficking of fentanyl.

Democrats also face mounting political pressure to address border-related issues, particularly with an election year approaching. The current administration has enacted national programs aimed at reducing fentanyl overdoses and imposed sanctions on Chinese firms believed to be involved in supplying precursor chemicals for the drug.

Despite these efforts, Mexico remains a principal source of fentanyl according to U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies. The agencies also note that solely focusing on supply-side enforcement will not solve the problem, underscoring the need for domestic addiction treatment programs.

Relations between the U.S. and Mexico have historically been fraught, with past instances of U.S. military intervention in Mexican territory. As Mexico’s largest trading partner and collaborator on various policy fronts, including migration, the prospect of military action raises complex diplomatic and historical concerns.

The idea of employing military force against drug cartels in Mexico has emerged as a controversial point in the current political discourse, with critics arguing that it is more about political posturing than effective policy. Tony Payan, director of the Center for the United States and Mexico at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, says Republican candidates are engaging in “political theater” by targeting Mexico, a convenient scapegoat for complex domestic issues.

Contributions to this report were made by Elliot Spagat in San Diego and Mark Stevenson in Mexico City.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about GOP Military Proposals on Fentanyl Crisis

More about GOP Military Proposals on Fentanyl Crisis

• GOP Candidates’ Stance on Military Action
• U.S. Fentanyl Crisis: Stats and Figures
• Historical U.S.-Mexico Relations
• Expert Opinions on Drug Policy and Military Intervention
• Families Affected by the Opioid Crisis: Voices for Awareness
• Current U.S. Administration’s Measures Against Fentanyl
• U.S. Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking Report
• Mexico’s Drug Policy Under President López Obrador
• The Role of Chinese Firms in the Fentanyl Crisis
• U.S. Border and Immigration Policy: Impact on Drug Trafficking