Tipsheet

Garland Gives Curious Explanation About Why Mexican Cartels Aren't Classified as Terrorists

Katie Pavlich
Katie Pavlich  |  March 01, 2023 11:45 AM

Testifying in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday, Attorney General Merrick Garland was asked by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham whether he would support reclassifying Mexican drug cartels as terrorists in order to more forcefully address their crimes against Americans. 

While Garland said he wouldn't oppose the reclassification, he warned it may cause diplomatic problems with the Mexican government. 

Interesting, why would that be? Because many Mexican government officials are in bed with the cartels and benefit handsomely from their billions made through drug and human trafficking to the United States. 

In January, Republican Congressmen Michael Waltz and Dan Crenshaw, both veterans, introduced legislation that would allow for the use of military force against Mexican cartels.

“The situation at our southern border has become untenable for our law enforcement personnel largely due to the activities spurred by the heavily armed and well financed Sinola and Jalisco cartels,” Waltz released in a statement at the time. “It’s time to go on offense. Not only are these paramilitary transnational criminal organizations responsible for killing an unprecedented number of Americans, but are actively undermining our sovereignty by destabilizing our border and waging war against U.S. law enforcement and the Mexican military. An AUMF would give the President sophisticated military cyber, intelligence, and surveillance resources to disrupt cartel operations that are endangering Americans. The U.S. was successful in assisting the Columbian government dismantle cartels in the 1990s and must do the same now.”

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“The cartels are at war with us–poisoning almost 80,000 Americans with fentanyl every year, creating a crisis at our border, and turning Mexico into a failed narco-state,” Crenshaw added. “It’s time we directly target them. My legislation will put us on a war footing against the cartels by authorizing the use of military force against them. We cannot continue to allow heavily armed and deadly cartels to destabilize Mexico and import people and drugs into the United States. We must start treating them like ISIS–because that is who they are.”

During a hearing on Capitol Hill Tuesday, a mother who lost her two boys to accidental fentanyl poisoning begged lawmakers to treat the influx of the drug "like a war."