Donald Trump Backs Down on Plan to Designate Mexican Cartels Terrorists

President Donald Trump decided Friday not to officially designate Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, deferring instead to Mexico.

“We will temporarily hold off this designation and step up our joint efforts to deal decisively with these vicious and ever-growing organizations!” Trump wrote on Twitter.

The president said that although he was fully prepared to take the tough step against the cartels, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador asked him not to.

Trump said he liked and respected President Obrador, who has been working with him to help stop the flow of migrants crossing the Southern border of the United States.

Move to oust Nancy Guthrie sheriff fails as Pima County supervisors refer perjury allegations to AG

High school student with history of anger issues charged with murder of homeless woman in Las Vegas

Nebraska’s Pillen wins Republican renomination in bid for second term as governor

Lawsuit: ChatGPT Told Florida State Shooter that Killing Children Would Get Him ‘More Attention’ Than Targeting Adults

House GOP launches new task force, probes alleged Medicaid fraud in Ohio

Poll: Rubio Opens Up Double-Digit Lead on Vance, AOC Leads 2028 Democratic Field

Judge keeps block on Trump administration effort to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Liberia

Canadian Liberal Who Championed Mass Migration Questions Election Results After Losing Race to Immigrant

Democrat lawmaker calls Clarence Thomas an ‘Uncle Tom’ and ‘lynchman’ after Supreme Court redistricting ruling

GOP heartburn forces messaging pivot from ‘ballroom’ for Trump security money

Awkward moment kicks off interview with ex-Biden adviser, drawing derision for Dem California gov candidate

‘Beyond Devastated’: NBA Veteran Dies at Age 29

Illegal alien ‘monster’ charged with raping dead girlfriend’s daughter, DHS blames Biden-era policies

Disturbing new details revealed in death of Denver airport intruder who died after breaching fence

Schumer backs GOP’s plan to bring the pain during future shutdowns: ‘I’m going to vote for it’

President Trump was expected to meet with his advisers on Friday to discuss the designation, which he has been previewing for months.

“All necessary work has been completed to declare Mexican Cartels terrorist organizations,” he confirmed on Friday. “Statutorily we are ready to do so.”

The cartel slaughter of nine American citizens in Mexico last month — six children and three women — prompted Trump to speed up the process.

U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr met with Obrador on Thursday to discuss the president’s proposal, which the Mexican president criticized as “interventionism” and a “flagrant violation of our sovereignty.” Obrador also cited President Obama’s failed gunrunning operation “Fast and Furious” as an example of how the United States only made violence worse in Mexico.

In March, Trump told Breitbart News that he was thinking “very seriously” about the idea.

“It’s psychological, but it’s also economic,” Trump said about the cartels. “As terrorists — as terrorist organizations, the answer is yes. They are.

The designation would allow law enforcement to act swiftly against the cartels as well as target their weaponry and financial resources. The federal government would also be allowed to prosecute friends and family members of the cartels supporting them in the United States, as well as organized gangs such as MS-13.