The Guatemalan government has firmly denied reports that it agreed to allow the United States to carry out military strikes against drug traffickers within its borders, while confirming it has sought security cooperation with Washington. "There is no agreement authorising foreign military operations by any country within national territory," the government of President Bernardo Arévalo stated on Thursday, pushing back against a New York Times report citing unnamed sources that claimed Arévalo had consented to US military action on Guatemalan soil.
The clarification came alongside a letter from Guatemala's defence minister, Henry Sáenz, to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, dated 28 May, in which Sáenz requested American assistance for "Guatemala-led" operations against drug trafficking organisations designated as terrorist groups by Washington. The letter described the proposed cooperation as falling within existing bilateral agreements, specifying that such combined operations would be led by Guatemalan forces with US support in the form of equipment, training, and expert personnel — not unilateral American strikes.
President Arévalo, who came to office in 2023 on an anti-corruption platform, told reporters he had spoken directly with Hegseth to clarify the terms of any cooperation. "We have discussed the possibilities of intensifying the collaboration that has been taking place within the framework of existing bilateral agreements," he said. The government emphasised that any arrangement must strictly adhere to Guatemala's constitution and applicable laws.
The episode reflects a broader tension across Latin America, where the Trump administration has been pushing for an expanded US military footprint to combat drug trafficking. Since September, the US has been striking vessels suspected of carrying narcotics in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, a campaign that has killed at least 194 people and drawn sharp criticism from rights groups who argue it amounts to extrajudicial killings. The New York Times also reported that the Pentagon is pressing Honduras to accept similar joint military arrangements, and that the broader strategy is partly designed to gain leverage over Mexico, whose president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has consistently said she will not allow US forces to operate on Mexican soil.
Guatemala, a Central American country that borders Mexico to the north and west, sits along one of the world's most heavily trafficked drug corridors — US officials estimate that 90 per cent of the cocaine entering the United States passes through Central America and Mexico. Arévalo declared a state of emergency in January after suspected gang members killed at least ten police officers, underscoring the severity of the security challenge. The debate over how much US involvement regional governments can accept — and under what terms — is likely to intensify as Washington continues pressing its neighbours for deeper cooperation.