Tipsheet

Why the President of Mexico Is Threatening a Campaign Against the GOP

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador threatened to start a public relations campaign against GOP members of Congress who are pushing for the U.S. government to label cartels as terrorist organizations and using the U.S. military to fight them. 

"We establish our position at once: We are not going to allow any foreign government to intervene, much less the armed forces of a foreign government, to intervene in our territory. And starting today, we are going to initiate an information campaign (aimed at) Mexicans who live and work in the United States, and all Hispanic, to inform them what we are doing in Mexico," López Obrador said.

"And on how this initiative from the Republicans, besides being irresponsible, is an offense against the people of Mexico," he continued. "A lack of respect for our independence, for our sovereignty."

López Obrador said if Republicans do not change their stance, then the Mexican government will tell the Latinos living in the U.S. to not vote for them because their proposal is "inhumane" and "corrupt."

López Obrador particularly aimed his ire towards Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX). Crenshaw responded to the threat on Twitter: 

Republicans' call to designate cartels as terrorist organizations and to use the military against them have increased after four Americans were kidnapped after entering Matamoros, Mexico, which is across the border from Brownsville, Texas. Two of them were killed before the other two were rescued by Mexican authorities. The Gulf Cartel, which controls Matamoros, issued an apology and gave up five men who they claimed were involved in the kidnapping.