A new poll shows that a majority of Americans support the prospect of direct U.S. military intervention in Mexico to confront the cartels that are smuggling unprecedented amounts of drugs and illegal immigrants into the United States.
According to the Washington Times, a recent poll revealed that 61% of Americans support the idea of deploying the U.S. military to “fight the Mexican cartels.” Additionally, a poll conducted in May showed that 53% of Americans support the deployment of the U.S. military across the border in Mexico.
The recent TIPP and Daily Mail survey found support for military intervention at the southern border from Democrats, Republicans, and independents. The survey showed that 70% of Republicans and 58% of Democrats support the idea.
As the 2024 GOP presidential primary race heats up, Republican leaders are calling for the use of military force to address the southern border crisis. Both Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and former President Donald Trump have announced their intention to mobilize U.S. military forces against the Mexican cartels if elected president in 2024.
READ MORE: Video: Border ‘controlled’ by Mexican cartels, fmr. DHS secretary warns
Scott has pledged to take efforts to fight against the cartels until they “cease to exist.”
“I will freeze their assets, I will build the wall, and I will allow the world’s greatest military to fight these terrorists — because that’s exactly what they are,” he said.
In a video filmed on the southern border, Trump shared his plan for dealing with the cartels and the border crisis.
“I will impose a full naval embargo on the drug cartels and deploy military assets to inflict maximum damage on cartel operations,” the former president said.
While the idea of using the U.S. military to combat cartels has received support from some top Republican leaders, others such as Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, argue that while deploying the military to handle the border crisis “sounds great,” it could easily backfire.
“What you end up doing is you’re essentially declaring war against Mexico and it would have widespread ramifications,” he said. “There are ways to deal with the cartels, including other operations not quite so public.”
According to the Washington Times, some experts are hesitant about the idea of deploying the military against the cartels because they believe a war against the cartels would involve U.S. troops fighting extensively in Mexico, which is not supported by the Mexican government. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador previously spoke against the idea, saying, “We are not going to permit any foreign government to intervene in our territory.”
