In this article, Matteson Ellis commented on a directive from the White House authorizing the Department of Defense to use military force against cartels designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, calling it a predictable extension of the administration's efforts so far to dismantle cartel operations in Latin America. "This is the latest and natural next step in the Trump administration's continuing campaign against cartels, transnational criminal organizations, and fentanyl trafficking, a key overall policy priority," Ellis said. "The bigger questions are what military action will look like in practice, and how it will be interpreted in the region."