By — Associated Press Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-trump-makes-announcement-on-human-trafficking-during-white-house-briefing Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter WATCH: Trump touts new anti-cartel task force achievements at White House event Politics Updated on Oct 23, 2025 5:39 PM EDT — Published on Oct 23, 2025 1:55 PM EDT President Donald Trump joined Attorney General Pam Bondi and other top officials Thursday to celebrate his recent creation of a new federal task force meant to encourage cooperation between federal and local law enforcement to combat drug cartels and human smuggling networks. Watch Trump’s remarks in the player above. At a White House event featuring national, state and local law enforcement officials, Trump hailed the task force’s “historic achievements” since it was created last month. READ MORE: Trump declares U.S. in ‘non-international armed conflict’ with drug cartels He said the task force had been involved in more than 3,000 arrests, including suspects from several notorious drug smuggling gangs. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. Lawmakers will be briefed on vessel strikes Trump said his administration will brief Congress on the U.S. strikes on alleged drug vessels, but he doesn’t believe the administration needs a formal declaration of war. READ MORE: A timeline of U.S. military strikes on boats off South America and what Congress has said “I don’t think we’re going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war. I think we’re just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country,” Trump said during a briefing with homeland security officials. “We’re going to kill them. They’re going to be like, dead,” he said. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now By — Associated Press Associated Press
President Donald Trump joined Attorney General Pam Bondi and other top officials Thursday to celebrate his recent creation of a new federal task force meant to encourage cooperation between federal and local law enforcement to combat drug cartels and human smuggling networks. Watch Trump’s remarks in the player above. At a White House event featuring national, state and local law enforcement officials, Trump hailed the task force’s “historic achievements” since it was created last month. READ MORE: Trump declares U.S. in ‘non-international armed conflict’ with drug cartels He said the task force had been involved in more than 3,000 arrests, including suspects from several notorious drug smuggling gangs. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. Lawmakers will be briefed on vessel strikes Trump said his administration will brief Congress on the U.S. strikes on alleged drug vessels, but he doesn’t believe the administration needs a formal declaration of war. READ MORE: A timeline of U.S. military strikes on boats off South America and what Congress has said “I don’t think we’re going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war. I think we’re just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country,” Trump said during a briefing with homeland security officials. “We’re going to kill them. They’re going to be like, dead,” he said. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now