Rep. Dan Crenshaw is calling on Congress to throw its full weight behind a military expansion against Mexican drug cartels following the death of "El Mencho." The leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) was killed in a recent strike, which Crenshaw describes as the "beginning of the war" against a "deranged" enemy. The Texas Republican and former Navy SEAL argues that while the Sinaloa cartel has dominated the headlines, the CJNG is a more brutal, ISIS-like threat that requires an immediate refocusing of U.S. resources.
"This is the beginning of the war against the most violent and deranged cartel in Mexico: El Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación or CJNG," Crenshaw stated on X. He believes the successful strike on the cartel leader represents a massive window of opportunity for the Trump administration to deepen its coordination with Mexican forces. Crenshaw has authored a dozen pieces of legislation to support this mission and is now urging House committees to bring them to the floor for a vote.
Among the proposed measures is a bill that would authorize President Donald Trump to use the American military to "combat, attack, resist, target [and] eliminate" narcotraffickers. This authority would apply to any foreign organization or person the president determines is trafficking deadly fentanyl into the United States. Crenshaw has spearheaded the "North America Security Initiative," arguing that the U.S. should provide Mexico with the same level of weapons and intelligence it has diverted to Ukraine.
The death of El Mencho has already sparked a wave of violence in Mexico, with dozens of military troops and criminals reportedly dead in the aftermath. Cartel members have responded by setting vehicles on fire and clashing with soldiers in regions like Cointzio. Despite the chaos, Crenshaw believes the U.S. finally has a "solid partner" in the Mexican government to facilitate a total disruption of fentanyl networks.
A person familiar with Crenshaw’s thinking confirmed he is coordinating with Speaker Mike Johnson to bring cartel-focused legislation up for consideration in the near future. The move follows immense pressure from the Trump administration, which recently saw Mexico fly 37 high-level cartel members to the U.S. for prosecution. Crenshaw credited a previous amendment to FISA for authorizing the intelligence collection that made these recent gains possible.
The goal of the new initiative is to shore up Mexican special forces while avoiding "unilateral action" that could alienate international partnerships. Crenshaw remains adamant that the fight against fentanyl—which is killing Americans on a daily basis—is a generational battle that is only just beginning. "We are finally taking them on. It won’t be over soon. But it’s about time we started," Crenshaw added.