Guatemala has agreed to carry out joint military strikes with the United States against drug trafficking groups operating within its borders, according to a report by The New York Times, marking a dramatic escalation in President Donald Trump's anti-cartel strategy across Latin America.
The agreement, first reported Thursday, reportedly followed discussions between Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Operations could begin as early as next month, according to officials familiar with the talks.
If confirmed, Guatemala would become one of the first countries in the region to openly authorize coordinated U.S. military action on its territory as part of Washington's expanding campaign against transnational drug cartels.
The Pentagon declined to comment on operational details, saying it would not discuss future military actions or matters involving national security. The White House said only that the administration "continues to work to carry out the president's agenda."
The move signals a new phase in the Trump administration's increasingly aggressive approach to organized crime in the Western Hemisphere. Since returning to office, Trump has repeatedly argued that Latin American cartels should be treated as terrorist organizations and has pushed for expanded military cooperation with governments in the region.
Mexico has publicly resisted those efforts. President Claudia Sheinbaum has repeatedly said she supports intelligence sharing and security cooperation with Washington but has rejected the idea of U.S. troops or agents participating directly in operations on Mexican soil.
According to the Times report, the Pentagon also hopes to pressure Honduras into accepting similar joint operations, part of a broader strategy designed in part to increase pressure on Mexico's government over cartel violence and fentanyl trafficking.
The development comes amid a wider militarization of U.S. anti-drug policy in the Americas. Over the past year, the Trump administration has expanded military deployments in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific under what officials have described as a counter-cartel campaign. U.S. military strikes targeting suspected drug-smuggling vessels have already resulted in hundreds of deaths, according to reports from The Associated Press and other outlets.
Critics, including legal scholars and human rights advocates, have questioned the legality of those operations and whether sufficient evidence has been presented linking targeted vessels or individuals to drug trafficking organizations. The Pentagon inspector general recently launched a review into whether proper military targeting procedures were followed in the operations.
Guatemala's decision could reshape regional security dynamics, particularly because U.S. military involvement in Latin America has historically been politically sensitive. American interventions in Central America during the Cold War left lasting scars in countries including Guatemala, where civil conflict and military repression claimed tens of thousands of lives during the second half of the 20th century.
Still, Guatemala has faced mounting pressure from organized crime networks tied to cocaine trafficking routes between South America and the United States. Drug trafficking organizations have increasingly expanded operations throughout Central America, exploiting weak institutions, corruption, and porous borders.
The Trump administration has framed the campaign as part of a broader war against cartels that it blames for fueling fentanyl overdoses and violence inside the United States. Officials close to the administration have also promoted what some analysts call a "joint targeting" model, in which U.S. forces assist local militaries with intelligence, planning, surveillance, and potentially direct operational support.
The White House has not yet publicly outlined what role U.S. forces would play in Guatemala, including whether American personnel would participate directly in raids or airstrikes.
For now, the agreement represents one of the clearest signs yet that Trump's anti-cartel strategy is moving beyond border enforcement and sanctions into a more openly military doctrine across Latin America.
