Administration says it is dismantling narco-terrorist networks in the Western Hemisphere

Misleading

Facts are technically correct but framed in a way that likely leads to a wrong impression. Learn more in Methodology.

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enforcement

Evidence such as indictments, leadership captures, major seizures, dismantled cells, or official partner confirmations demonstrates that major narco-terrorist networks in the Western Hemisphere have been disrupted or dismantled by U.S. actions.

Source summary
The White House released a presidential message marking the 178th anniversary of the United States' victory in the Mexican–American War, recounting key events such as the capture of Mexico City and the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo that ceded 525,000 square miles to the U.S. The statement frames that history as foundational to American sovereignty and connects it to current administration priorities: stricter southern border enforcement, drug interdiction, dismantling "narco-terrorist networks," recent trade agreements with several Latin American countries, actions regarding the Panama Canal, and a foreign policy described as "America First" and tied to a reasserted "Trump Corollary." The message also honors the soldiers who died in the conflict.
Latest fact check

U.S. officials and its military publicly launched Operation Southern Spear and authorized lethal strikes on vessels and other actions described as targeting “narco‑terrorist” networks in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, and DOJ/administration documents show an explicit policy to target cartels. Independent reporting and expert analyses (CFR, Reuters, NPR, BBC) however find scant evidence that these strikes and operations have actually dismantled drug networks “all across the Western Hemisphere” or meaningfully reduced regional drug flows; critics note the campaign’s limited geographic focus, legal controversies, and continued trafficking. Verdict: Misleading — the administration has taken aggressive, often lethal actions it calls dismantling narco‑terrorist networks, but credible sources show the claim overstates results and scope beyond what independent evidence supports.

Timeline

  1. Update · Feb 03, 2026, 12:09 PMMisleading
    U.S. officials and its military publicly launched Operation Southern Spear and authorized lethal strikes on vessels and other actions described as targeting “narco‑terrorist” networks in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, and DOJ/administration documents show an explicit policy to target cartels. Independent reporting and expert analyses (CFR, Reuters, NPR, BBC) however find scant evidence that these strikes and operations have actually dismantled drug networks “all across the Western Hemisphere” or meaningfully reduced regional drug flows; critics note the campaign’s limited geographic focus, legal controversies, and continued trafficking. Verdict: Misleading — the administration has taken aggressive, often lethal actions it calls dismantling narco‑terrorist networks, but credible sources show the claim overstates results and scope beyond what independent evidence supports.
  2. Update · Feb 03, 2026, 11:33 AMMisleading
    The administration has launched a named military campaign (Operation Southern Spear/Joint Task Force Southern Spear) and U.S. Southern Command and the Joint Task Force have publicly reported maritime interdictions, a lethal strike on a vessel (Jan. 23, 2026), and deployments (carrier strike group, Marines) to disrupt narcotics trafficking. Those official actions and press releases show active, ongoing operations against narco-trafficking and groups the U.S. calls "designated terrorist organizations." However, independent reporting and analysts indicate the campaign is recent and limited in scope, and there is no independent evidence that U.S. actions have "dismantled" narco-terrorist networks across the entire Western Hemisphere — that is an expansive claim that overstates the current, ongoing operations. Verdict: Misleading — the administration is actively carrying out operations to degrade narco-trafficking networks, but publicly available evidence does not support the stronger claim that those networks have been dismantled across the whole Western Hemisphere.
  3. Original article · Feb 02, 2026

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