Reports indicate that Guatemala has agreed to carry out joint strikes with the United States military inside its territory to target drug trafficking groups. This effort is part of a broader strategy by the Trump administration to press Latin American countries to agree to joint operations inside their borders, with intentions to also press Honduras to accept similar military action.
However, Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo has denied an agreement for anti-drug trafficking operations involving U.S. attacks. Arévalo stated that he spoke with Pete Hegseth to confirm terms of cooperation, clarifying that Guatemala requested U.S. military cooperation spanning access to equipment, training, and experts. The government noted that these requests fall within existing bilateral agreements and stop short of U.S. military operations on Guatemalan soil.
The push for joint operations is intended to pressure Mexico into accepting similar counter-drug measures. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has maintained that while she welcomes security cooperation and intelligence-sharing, she will not accept U.S. forces or agents participating in operations on Mexican territory. President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for a greater use of military force to combat Mexican cartels and has threatened that the U.S. could act alone if Mexico is not doing enough.