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.

Video: Caitlin Clark’s Suspension Reversed After Ref’s Bizarre Technical Overturned – This as Allegations of Open Racism Flare in WNBA

Fauci Admitted 2nd Dose of COVID Vaccine ‘Theoretically Could Be Associated with Miscarriage’ in Newly Released Texts

Top Senate Dem’s new tax idea gets torched as critics warn nearly every American could pay

Fauci in the hot seat as GOP senator tears into ‘truly sick’ vaccine texts: ‘Tip of the iceberg’

State Department Has Revoked Over 175K Visas to Date for Criminals and Others During Trump’s 2nd Term

Graphic: UK Cop Tries to Arrest Man Who Bought Baseball Bat and Carried It Out of Store, Crowd Comes to Man’s Defense Instead of Cop’s

‘Common sense against crazy’: Trump-backed candidate sounds alarm on socialist Hong in Wisconsin race

Child vaccine schedule reduced as Trump moves to dramatically shift medical power to parents

Georgia jogger runs for her life after stranger allegedly tries to mow her down 3 times

Repeat offender illegal immigrant accused of plowing pickup into Nashville crowd – now ICE wants him

FAA says flights will be paused at DCA during Freedom 250 Grand Prix

Indiana recount commission finds Trump-backed challenger victorious

36-Year-Old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Attempts to Control Time by Freezing Her Eggs

Potential Contamination from Mexico Triggers Salsa Recall from Walmart, Target, Kroger

Fauci discussed COVID mRNA vaccine concerns for pregnant women in text chain released by Senate committee

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.