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.
GRAHAM: "Would you oppose some of us trying to make [Mexican drug cartels] foreign terrorist organizations?"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) March 1, 2023
GARLAND: "I want to point out, there are diplomatic concerns. We need the assistance of Mexico in this..." pic.twitter.com/DZKNNUX7WE
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.
And why exactly are there diplomatic concerns about taking out Mexican cartels? Very curious to hear the Mexican government’s reservations about this, outside of their corrupt members no longer profiting from and being part of the cartels of course https://t.co/EqvtK1qqV7
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) March 1, 2023
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.”
Trump is absolutely right: Mexican Cartels are paramilitary groups running our Southern Border & defeating the Mexican Army.
— Rep. Mike Waltz (@michaelgwaltz) January 8, 2023
That’s why I’ll be introducing Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) legislation to go on the offense with military, cyber, intel & drones. pic.twitter.com/Af1HX1y8cV
“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."
Gut-wrenching opening statement from Rebecca Kiessling, who lost two sons to fentanyl poisoning, at border hearing:
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) February 28, 2023
"You talk about children being taken away from their parents. My children were taken away from me...It’s not about race, fentanyl doesn’t care about race." pic.twitter.com/Kgn4rGvgTg