Summary
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum criticized Donald Trump’s executive order to label drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, emphasizing Mexico’s sovereignty and rejecting U.S. military intervention.
Trump’s order, part of broader measures on border security, could allow asset seizures and sanctions against cartels but faces skepticism for its effectiveness.
Experts warn it may complicate asylum claims, as migrants paying cartels for passage could face disqualification.
Critics see the move as political posturing, while some victims’ families hope the designation will bring justice and highlight Mexico’s cartel violence.
Is there any legitimate argument that cartels aren’t terrorists? They seem to have successfully terrorized the local population in to compliance. They run militias and have military equipment.
It’s not that cartels aren’t bad, but labeling them as terrorists groups gives the US different rights by international law. For example asylum seekers that use coyote to cross the border are labeled as criminals. Also “allows” the US to invade Mexico and deal with the terrorists
That’s orthogonal to the point though. Looking the other way in regards to cartel’s human smuggling isn’t helping asylum seekers, it’s enabling the criminal activity of the cartel. Similarly them being terrorists or not has little to do with US intervention.