- The Biden administration on Wednesday announced it would not support efforts to brand Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, indicating such a move would provide little value in combatting their operations.
- “Designating these cartels as FTOs (foreign terrorist organizations) would not grant us any additional authorities that we don’t really have at this time,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Wednesday.
- Many Republicans have called on the Biden administration to label the cartels as FTOs, including Sens. Lindsey Graham, S.C., and John Kennedy, La., who have introduced legislation to designate nine Mexican gangs as FTOs and authorize the use of military force against them.
Trending
White House Opposes Designating Mexican Drug Cartels As Terrorists
A US Customs and Border Protection agent searches an automobile for contraband in the line to enter the United States at the San Ysidro Port of Entry on October 2, 2019 in San Ysidro, California. - Fentanyl, a powerful painkiller approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for a range of conditions, has been central to the American opioid crisis which began in the late 1990s. China was the first country to manufacture illegal fentanyl for the US market, but the problem surged when trafficking through Mexico began around 2005, according to Donovan. (Photo by SANDY HUFFAKER / AFP) / The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by SANDY HUFFAKER has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [A US Customs and Border Protection agent] instead of [An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require. (Photo by SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP via Getty Images)
