Military

Defense Secretary: “Enough Is Enough” on Mexican Cartel Threat

Published

August 12, 2025

In an exclusive segment of The Ingraham Angle, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth underscored the Trump administration’s determination to confront Mexico’s most dangerous cartels, describing them as foreign terrorist organizations that threaten American lives. Responding to reports in The New York Times, Hegseth declined to confirm operational details but criticized the release of sensitive information.

“The president ran on designating these organizations as foreign terrorist organizations,” Hegseth said. “We spent 20 years battling foreign terrorists overseas. Now we’ve got them in our own hemisphere, poisoning our people with drugs, with gangs, with violence, with human trafficking. President Trump has said enough is enough.”

Military and Law Enforcement Coordination

Hegseth explained that U.S. military forces are already working alongside Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the southern border, sealing entry points against cartel activity. He emphasized that any further action—whether at the border or beyond—would be taken at the president’s direction.

“Where appropriate, when given the opportunity, when it makes sense, at the directive of the president, we will take action to defend the American people,” Hegseth said, while making clear that he was not announcing any deployment of U.S. troops into Mexico.

A Presidential Priority

Hegseth made it clear that the fight against cartels is a top priority for both the president and the Defense Department. Without revealing intelligence specifics, he suggested U.S. agencies have deeper insight into cartel movements than the criminal organizations may realize.

“We’re watching. We know a little bit more than they think we might know about them,” he said. “If you’re trafficking in drugs, you’re trafficking in people, you are trafficking in violence that affects the American people, that’s unacceptable, and the Defense Department is going to be a part of solving that.”