News/Commentary

GOP rep. introduces bill designating Mexican cartels as terrorists: ‘No longer just drug-running gangs’

March 11, 2023 | | Print Article

With America’s southern border with Mexico still open and allowing humans and deadly drugs to be trafficked into the States, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) is introducing legislation that would, at last, slap Mexican cartels with a Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) designation.

The aptly named “Drug Cartel Terrorist Designation Act” directs the Department of State to designate the Reynosa/Los Metros faction of the Gulf Cartel, the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas, the Cartel de Sinaloa, and the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion as foreign terrorist organizations.

The State Department would be required to submit “a detailed report on each of the drug cartels listed” and any other cartels that meet the designation criteria.

The recent kidnapping of Americans, allegedly by the Gulf Cartel, “clearly illustrates the fact that cartels are no longer just drug-running gangs,” Roy told Fox News Digital (FND) in a statement.

“They are bold enough to kidnap and kill foreign nationals in broad daylight; there is no limit to the inhumane methods they will use to achieve their ultimate end — profiting off of human suffering,” Roy said. “This most recent atrocity adds to the already massive human toll including 72,000 dead Americans from fentanyl poisoning, more than 1,000 dead migrants along our border, and countless human and sex trafficking victims.”

“Enough words,” the Texas lawmaker announced, “it’s time for Congress to act.”

The legislation was reintroduced in the Senate on Wednesday by Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) after news broke that two of the four Americans kidnapped had been killed.

“For too long, Biden’s botched border policies have prioritized criminals and cartels over legal immigration and Americans’ safety,” Scott said in a statement. “Dictators, cartels and bad guys around the world know that Biden is a weak appeaser with open border policies. They’re taking full advantage by trafficking evil drugs like fentanyl across the southern border, poisoning our communities and killing our loved ones.”

“Those who knowingly distribute these highly lethal drugs are declaring war on Americans,” he continued, “and deserve to be held accountable and classified as the terrorists they are.”

“What happened in Mexico yesterday was a tragedy and a symptom of a larger problem stemming from the culture supported by our national leadership,” said Marshall. “The drug cartels have taken full advantage of the culture of lawlessness Joe Biden has created by leaving our southern border wide open, promoting cashless bail, defunding the police, turning his back on violent riots, and denying the fentanyl crisis is created by his policies.”

“No wonder the cartels think they can get away with this violence towards American citizens because, for over two years, they’ve seen zero accountability from Joe Biden,” he stated. “The White House continues to be derelict in its duty to execute the law faithfully and protect the homeland, which is why our country needs the Drug Cartel Terrorist Designation Act to give federal authorities more power to preserve every Americans’ safety and security.”

If designated an FTO, the Mexican cartels would join groups such as “ISIS and its affiliates, Al Qaeda and the Revolutionary Armed Force of Colombia — People’s Army,” Fox News reports.

Such a designation, said Roy, is long overdue.

“It’s long past time to designate these cartels as the terrorists they are and give U.S. authorities the tools needed to take them down,” he told Fox News Digital. “That’s why I started pushing the Trump administration for FTO designations during my first few months in Congress, why I introduced this legislation last Congress, and why I’m introducing it again.”

But according to the White House press secretary, designating the cartels as terrorist organizations would be a waste of time.

“Designating these cartels as [foreign terrorist organizations] would not grant us any additional authorities that we don’t really have at this time,” she told reporters at a recent press briefing, according to The Hill. “The United States has powerful sanctions authorities specifically designated to combat narcotics trafficking organizations and the individuals and entities that enable them. So, we have not been afraid to use them.”

DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW

Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!

$10
$15
$25
$50
Other
$
Success! Thank you for donating. Please share BPR content to help combat the lies.
Melissa Fine
Latest posts by Melissa Fine (see all)

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

BPR INSIDER COMMENTS

Scroll down for non-member comments or join our insider conversations by becoming a member. We'd love to have you!

Latest Articles