{"id":29149,"date":"2023-12-20T16:30:05","date_gmt":"2023-12-20T16:30:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/12\/20\/what-does-the-2024-election-mean-for-troops-at-the-mexico-border\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T04:19:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T04:19:20","slug":"what-does-the-2024-election-mean-for-troops-at-the-mexico-border","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/management\/leadership\/2023\/12\/20\/what-does-the-2024-election-mean-for-troops-at-the-mexico-border\/","title":{"rendered":"What does the 2024 election mean for troops at the Mexico border?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As the 2024 election cycle goes into full swing, Republican presidential hopefuls and sitting politicians are ramping up their rhetoric about their military plans for the U.S.-Mexico border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The politicians<\/a> argue that military force \u2014 effectively doubling down on the War on Drugs within the borders of America\u2019s largest trading partner<\/a> \u2014 can help stem the flow of synthetic opioid drugs like fentanyl. Such drugs killed more than 70,000 Americans in 2021, according to government data<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In recent months, former president Donald Trump, the likely GOP nominee, and his longshot rivals \u2014 including former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron Desantis, and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy \u2014 have all committed to using military force against drug cartels, with or without the Mexican government\u2019s consent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump\u2019s campaign website states the former president intends to \u201cimpose a full naval embargo on the cartels\u201d using Navy ships, in addition to deploying \u201cspecial forces, cyber warfare, and other covert and overt actions\u201d against the criminal organizations. Other proposals include drone and missile strikes, as well as special operations raids into Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The nation\u2019s leader, President Andr\u00e9s Manuel L\u00f3pez Obrador, strongly opposes any U.S. military action in Mexico\u2019s sovereign territory. Although more than half of Americans, according to a September Reuters\/Ipsos poll<\/a>, support sending troops into Mexico to fight the cartels, only 29% would support doing so against the Mexican government\u2019s wishes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the military\u2019s efforts on U.S. soil to shore up border security amid record-high migration levels will continue into 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Texas National Guard\u2019s state-controlled border security effort, Operation Lone Star, has stationed thousands of Guardsmen along the border. Because they are not considered federal military members while on state duty, they have arrested migrants on state trespassing charges in addition to manning observation posts and building barriers along the border, among other duties. Troops assigned to the mission have run afoul of intelligence oversight rules<\/a>, according to a joint Army Times-Texas Tribune investigation, and have committed shootings<\/a> and other controversial incidents.<\/p>\n\n\n\t