1、CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i Designating Mexican Drug Cartels as Foreign Terrorists: Policy Implications Liana W. Rosen, Coordinator Acting Coordinator of Research Planning June S. Beittel Analyst in Latin American Affairs John W. Rollins Specialist i
2、n Terrorism and National Security Clare Ribando Seelke Specialist in Latin American Affairs December 6, 2019 In a November 26 interview, President Donald Trump revealed his intention to designate Mexicos drug trafficking organizations (DTOs, commonly referred to as “cartels”) as foreign terrorist or
3、ganizations (FTOs). His comments follow recent incidents that exemplify how Mexican DTOs use violence to control their criminal domains. Earlier in November, after members of an extended family of U.S.-Mexican citizens were killed in Sonora, President Trump tweeted: “This is the time for Mexico, wit
4、h the help of the United States, to wage WAR on the drug cartels.” In October, Mexican security forces launched an unsuccessful operation to capture Ovidio Guzmn Lpez, a son of the imprisoned drug lord Joaqun “El Chapo” Guzmn. While Guzmn Lpez was briefly detained, the Sinaloa Cartel responded with