Overview
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a visit to Panama last week that Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras had agreed to joint U.S. land operations against criminal groups, a claim Guatemala’s president denied and said would be illegal without congressional approval.
- Ecuador has already carried out joint raids with U.S. forces since March, and a New York Times investigation reported that at least one March strike hit a cattle farm rather than a drug lab.
- Over the past year the U.S. military has shifted to aggressive maritime strikes, carrying out more than 60 boat attacks that sources say killed over 200 people and prompted questions about evidence and legality.
- Several regional governments vary in their willingness to host U.S. troops: Mexico has resisted a U.S. military role, Colombia’s new president has sought more U.S. help, and domestic rules in countries like Guatemala limit what leaders can authorize without legislative approval.
- Experts warn the move risks civilian harm because armed groups often blend into towns after strikes, and they say deeper U.S. involvement could provoke lasting political backlash even where short-term cooperation is possible.