Days after NBC reported that the Trump administration had considered launching drone strikes on drug cartels in Mexico, President Trump issued a memorandum Friday night to the heads of four federal departments, expanding the U.S. military's role in securing the southern border in accordance with Executive Order 14167 (Clarifying the Military's Role in Protecting the Territorial Integrity of the United States) and Proclamation 10886 (Declaring a National Emergency at the Southern Border of the United States). The move aligns with a broader strategic theme known as hemispheric defense.

The memo, titled "Military Mission for Sealing the Southern Border of the United States and Repelling Invasions," was sent to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.

It states, "Our southern border is under attack from a variety of threats. The complexity of the current situation requires that our military take a more direct role in securing our southern border than in the recent past."