"Border czar" Tom Homan said President Donald Trump won't hesitate to use the U.S. military if Mexican cartels target American troops on the southern border.

"I think the cartels would be foolish to take on the military, but we know they've taken on the Mexican military before, but now we have the United States military," he told ABC News Live on Thursday.

"Do I expect violence to escalate? Absolutely, because the cartels are making record amounts of money," Homan said, going on to say that they continue to secure the border, "We're taking money out of their pocket."

Homan said he would send a warning if any U.S. soldiers are harmed: "The wrath of President Trump's going to come down."

"He has the ability to wipe them off the face of the Earth," he said.

On his first day in office, Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border, allowing the Department of Defense to deploy armed forces to the region.

He also signed an executive order to designate drug cartels and other criminal organizations as foreign terrorist organizations or specifically designated global terrorists.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.