A prominent conservative think tank, the Heritage Foundation, has presented a strategy for President Trump to utilize the military in securing the southern border. Their report, obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital, asserts a "substantial historical precedent" exists for such action.
The report, titled "How the President Can Use the U.S. Military to Confront the Catastrophic Threat at the Border with Mexico," emphasizes the escalating influence of Mexican cartels, coupled with illegal immigration and drug trafficking, as destabilizing forces for the United States. It also points to a decline in cooperative security efforts between the U.S. and Mexico, and a weakening of Mexico's internal anti-cartel operations.
This image depicts the southern border wall and troops stationed in the area. (Getty Images)
This aligns with the new Trump administration's perspective, evidenced by the President's immediate executive order to deploy troops to the border as part of a larger border security and immigration enforcement initiative.
Report authors Robert Greenway, Andres Martinez-Fernandez, and Wilson Beaver recommend several follow-up actions to address the cartel threat and what they perceive as a lack of action from the Mexican government. Initial steps include strengthening U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) capabilities, tightening border crossing restrictions, increasing law enforcement efforts, targeting cartel-related financial transactions, and imposing sanctions on corrupt Mexican officials.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump depart on Air Force One. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
The report underscores the necessity of Congressional funding and interagency planning to avoid impacting other military missions. It highlights the potential use of military equipment, including transportation, for immigration enforcement, specifically deportation.
While direct military action against cartels is considered a last resort, preferably undertaken jointly with Mexico, the report acknowledges the possibility of unilateral U.S. intervention to disrupt cartel activities and encourage cooperation from the Mexican government.
The report expresses skepticism about Mexico altering its approach under newly elected President Claudia Sheinbaum, despite what the authors view as a significantly escalating threat from cartels, who they claim are now a major employer in Mexico, equipped with advanced weaponry.
Individuals boarding a U.S. military aircraft for deportation. (White House)
The report follows recent administration actions, including military deployment to the border, aimed at addressing border security and curbing illegal immigration. This deployment includes 1,000 Army personnel and 500 Marines, adding to the 2,500 service members already stationed at the southern border.
Fox News’ Christina Shaw contributed to this report.
