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.

Benghazi terror suspect extradited to face US charges

It’s AOC’s Party Now: Bernie-Backed Far-Leftist Could Win Dem Nomination to Replace ‘Moderate’ Sherrill in NJ

12 Minneapolis anti-ICE agitators arrested after massive crowd gathers outside Hilton hotel

First Nancy Guthrie Ransom Note Deadline Expires: ‘Do the Right Thing’

Shapiro fires back at DHS, says truck driver accused in deadly crash had legal status in database

RNC rolls out ‘powerful’ new TikTok strategy to win over key demographic after Trump’s 2024 success

‘Not Alaska First’: Peltola’s Green New Deal allies draw scrutiny in Alaska Senate bid

Hegseth says US strikes force some cartel leaders to halt drug operations

Can the late shah’s son sell the Trump administration on leading a postcleric regime in Iran?

Proposed California ‘wealth tax’ may backfire on liberal politicians as state’s revenue base dries up

Minnesota green energy program funded by Obama fined for killing bald eagle: ‘National treasure’

US forces kill two suspected narco-terrorists in Eastern Pacific lethal strike operation

Harvey Levin gives explosive update on purported Nancy Levin ransom note on ‘Hannity’

Fox News True Crime Newsletter: No suspects identified in disappearance of Nancy Guthrie as deadline passes

Civil rights groups issue Florida travel advisory for FIFA World Cup over immigration enforcement tactics

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.