Trump team revisiting plans to designate Mexican cartels: CNN
3 Min Read
Sources told CNN that deliberations are ongoing regarding which cartels might be targeted and when action could be taken.
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US President-elect Donald Trump speaks to members of the media during a press conference at the Mar-a-Lago Club on January 07, 2025, in Palm Beach, Florida (ETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/Getty Images via AFP)
US President-elect Donald Trump's team is revisiting plans to designate Mexican cartels as "terrorist organizations", a scheme that did not materialize during his first term, CNN reported on Wednesday, citing three sources familiar with the discussions.
In late 2019, Trump nearly designated Mexican cartels as "terrorist groups" but refrained at the request of then-Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. Within Trump’s Justice Department, the idea faced significant opposition from career officials and political appointees alike.
Although the proposal was shelved, Republicans have since continued to advocate for it, introducing legislation to classify specific cartels as "foreign terrorist organizations." Mexican cartels generate billions of dollars, dominate the flow of illicit drugs into the US, and engage in human smuggling operations.
As Trump prepares for his second term, discussions about the designation have resurfaced. Sources told CNN that while it remains unclear whether Trump would act on this on day one, deliberations are ongoing regarding which cartels might be targeted and when action could be taken.
In December, during a speech in Arizona, Trump reiterated his intent to designate drug cartels as "foreign terrorist organizations"—a move that could potentially lead to military operations on Mexican soil. He has also suggested bombing fentanyl labs and deploying special forces to target cartel leaders, actions that could violate Mexico’s sovereignty and strain US-Mexico relations.
Such a designation could result in harsher financial penalties and legal consequences in the US for those linked to cartels. However, experts caution that it could jeopardize the diplomatic relationship with Mexico, the US' largest trading partner.
The secretary of state, in coordination with the attorney general and treasury secretary, is responsible for making such designations and informing Congress.
Some former Homeland Security officials argue that existing tools are sufficient to dismantle transnational criminal organizations and that designating cartels as "terrorist groups" would offer minimal additional benefits.
The proposal continues to gain traction among Republican lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, who argue that the designation would enable more aggressive action against cartels.
A history of the proposal
During Trump’s first term, then-Attorney General William Barr supported exploring the idea, despite opposition from other administration officials.
In a 2019 Oval Office meeting, Barr aligned with Trump on pursuing the designation while others warned against it.
Later, Barr traveled to Mexico and negotiated an agreement with Mexican officials to enhance cooperation on trafficking and migration issues, effectively sidelining the cartel designation proposal.
In recent years, Barr has renewed his support for the idea, emphasizing that a terror designation alone is insufficient. In his memoir and a 2023 Wall Street Journal op-ed, Barr pointed to the surge in fentanyl-related overdose deaths as justification for Congress to authorize military action against cartels in Mexico.
He argued that “under international law, a government has a duty to ensure that lawless groups don’t use its territory to carry out predations against its neighbors."
"If a government is unwilling or unable to do so, then the country being harmed has the right to take direct action to eliminate the threat, with or without the host country’s approval,” he pointed out.
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