Pete Buttigieg told a Latino forum that he’s open to sending the United States military into Mexico to fight drug cartels and restore order in the country.
“There is a scenario where we could have security cooperation,” the South Bend, Indiana, mayor, 37, said Sunday in Los Angeles. “I’d only order American troops into conflict if American lives were on the line and if it was necessary to meet treaty obligations.”
Buttigieg’s campaign was forced to clarify his comments after members of the audience expressed puzzlement, saying military force would simply be a “last resort.”
“We have to regain the trust of the Mexican government and American government and have a collaborative relationship before we talk of sending troops,” California Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez said in response to Buttigieg’s remarks. “That’s a scary thought right now because the truth is our government has been nothing but disrespectful to Mexico’s government, and the last thing we need is to militarize the border. I was unclear about the steps he would suggest need to be taken before that happened.”
Buttigieg’s remarks echoed those made by President Trump earlier this month when the president said he would help “wipe [the drug cartels] off the face of the earth” after members of a Mormon family with American citizenship were killed in an ambush.
