This article highlights Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum’s response to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at designating drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. Sheinbaum emphasized Mexico’s sovereignty and insisted on close coordination between the two nations in addressing cartels.
Trump’s order, signed Monday, did not explicitly name any Mexican cartels but tasked U.S. Cabinet secretaries to recommend groups for designation within 14 days.
While the order targets cartels and criminal organizations such as Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua and Salvadoran gang MS-13, its implications on U.S.-Mexico relations and immigration remain uncertain.
Experts and critics, like Vanda Felbab-Brown from the Brookings Institution, warned that the designation could disrupt trade, exacerbate migrant issues, and complicate asylum claims.
Migrants paying cartels for safe passage through Latin America could face disqualification from asylum under the order.
Meanwhile, Mike Vigil, a former DEA foreign operations chief, dismissed the move as largely symbolic, emphasizing that current U.S. anti-narcotics powers already mirror anti-terrorism capabilities.
The backdrop of escalating cartel violence in Mexico, including clashes within the Sinaloa cartel and the use of advanced weaponry, has left thousands of victims in its wake.
Advocates like Adrián LeBarón, whose family was impacted by cartel violence, support the designation, hoping it might prompt justice and bring attention to victims in Mexico’s war-torn regions. However, Sheinbaum firmly rejected U.S. military intervention, defending Mexico’s autonomy in tackling its internal challenges.