Trump‘s Declaration Stirs Storm: Designating Mexican Cartels as ‘Terrorist Organizations‘
A handful of words in an ocean of phrases, uttered by Donald Trump, have once again set off alarms on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. Thepresident-elect’s announcement that he intends to designate Mexican cartels as "terrorist organizations" upon taking office on January 20 has left more questions than answers. How, when, and at what cost does he plan to do this? What implications would such a designation have? Could this open the door to controlled attacks on Mexican soil to decimate these powerful narcotrafficking groups? And how might Mexico respond to such an unprecedented move?
President-elect Trump made his statement during a meeting of the ultraconservative group Turning Point in Phoenix, Arizona, where he described Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum as a "wonderful woman." Sheinbaum swiftly responded, asserting, "We collaborate, coordinate, and work together, but we will never subordinate ourselves. Mexico is a free, sovereign, and independent country, and we do not accept interventionism."
The U.S. Department of State maintains a list of 68 foreign terrorist organizations, including groups like Hamas, the Colombian National Liberation Army, and Peru’s Shining Path. The most recent additions, in December 2021, were the FARC and its offshoot, Segunda Marquetalia. Organizations that have previously been in the crosshairs of the U.S., such as ETA or the Khmer Rouge, have been delisted.
The primary consequences of being added to this list are financial. It allows authorities to freeze financial assets and facilitates combating money laundering. Moreover, it increases public awareness and sends a message to other governments about the concern these groups inspire.
However, a high-ranking Mexican embassy official contends that designating cartels as terrorist organizations would be a strategic mistake with unpredictable consequences for both countries. "You don’t combat organized crime with labels, you do it through cooperation and institutional strengthening," the official stated. The academic Carlos Pérez-Ricart warns that this level of tension between the two countries is unprecedented in the last 100 years and opens the door to a potential U.S. invasion.
The relationship between the two countries in matters of security has become complicated in recent years, particularly during the presidency of Andrés Manuel López Obrador. López Obrador’s nationalistic rhetoric and unilateral actions, such as the capture of General Salvador Cienfuegos, have strained diplomatic relations. Additionally, a recent poll shows that most Mexicans reject U.S. transgressions of their sovereignty.
Furthermore, the capture of Ismael Mayo Zambada, carried out unilaterally by the U.S., has added fuel to the fire, deepening the tensions between the two countries. Despite these challenges, the new Mexican administration led by President Sheinbaum is taking decisive action against cartels, including a recent historical seizure of fentanyl in Sinaloa.
This is not the first time the idea of designating cartels as terrorist organizations has been floated in Washington. In 2010, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton compared the situation in Mexico to Colombia 20 years ago, suggesting that cartels were displaying insurgency-like characteristics. Clinton also mentioned that the Obama administration was considering a Plan Colombia-style intervention for Mexico and Central America.
