Guatemala has agreed to allow joint military operations with the United States inside its own territory targeting drug trafficking organizations, according to the New York Times.
President Bernardo Arévalo approved airstrikes and other military action during a call with War Secretary Pete Hegseth last week, with operations potentially beginning as early as next month.
Guatemala’s government has also formally requested “cooperation in operations led by Guatemalan security forces against drug trafficking organizations.” The arrangement would make Guatemala the second country in the region to authorize joint military action of this kind, following Ecuador, where U.S. forces are already advising and assisting local troops in raids and airstrikes against suspected gangs that have fueled one of Latin America’s highest levels of violence.
The Trump administration is also preparing to push Honduras toward a similar agreement, according to individuals familiar with the planning, as part of a broader effort to expand joint counterdrug operations across the region. Officials said the strategy is aimed in part at increasing pressure on Mexico to accept coordinated military activity, while expanding a sustained U.S. security presence in Latin America.
The approach is being driven by White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and Pentagon policy official Joseph M. Humire, those sources said.
