President Donald Trump's directive to the Pentagon to begin using military force against Latin American drug cartels—previously designated by his administration as foreign terrorist organizations—has drawn widespread criticism from experts, public officials and advocacy groups.
The order lays the groundwork for potential direct military operations at sea and on foreign soil. However, many organizations, including the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), a nonprofit that promotes human rights, democracy and justice in the region, argue that deploying the military to combat drug trafficking cartels would be a serious mistake.
