Why the America - Mexico Relationship Is About to Get Messy(ier) Again
Narco rhetoric, militarized borders, and the growing possibility of an American incursion into Mexico.
This Time It Might Not Be a Drill
It’s now August 2025, and the America – Mexico relationship seems to moving to on the edge of something we haven’t seen in generations.
Donald Trump is pushing his hardline Mexico with what seems like full force and the administration has already designated Mexican cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), enacted sweeping tariffs on Mexican imports, and openly floated the use of U.S. special forces or drones against cartel targets on Mexican soil…Possible more
Across the border, Claudia Sheinbaum is six months into her term as Mexico’s first female president and already caught in the middle of a geopolitical knife fight. While she publicly pushes for cooperation, she continues AMLO’s policy of militarization, keeping the armed forces in charge of customs, infrastructure, and internal security. Cartel violence is still rampant, and the U.S. isn’t really buying the narrative that Mexico is “doing enough.”
If you’re an expat, a remote worker, an investor or just someone who regularly crosses the border, this matters.
Trump’s Policy Is No Longer Rhetoric—It’s Action
Within weeks of taking office, Trump’s administration formally labeled the Sinaloa, Jalisco New Generation, and Gulf cartels as terrorist organizations. That unlocked new powers for the U.S. government: asset seizures, cross-border drone surveillance, and potential kinetic operations.
It also opened the gates for state-level initiatives. In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott has resumed unilateral military deployments to the Rio Grande, stacking National Guard troops and razor wire at the riverbanks, even in defiance of federal court rulings.
Meanwhile, Washington imposed a series of tariffs on Mexican imports 25% on key goods, with a looming increase to 30% that’s been delayed but not cancelled. As of today there has been another 90 days pause Tariff Pause