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.

Ellen DeGeneres Comes Crawling Back to US After Fleeing Post-Trump Victory, Buys $27 Million California Mansion

Virginia Democrat gives profanity-laced response to Cruz’s criticism of the state’s redistricting push

Trump Admin Discovers ‘Staggering’ Billions Stolen in Suspected California Small Business Fraud

Two teens arrested after 15-year-old shot near Washington DC’s Union Station

Bishop Ronald Hicks replaces Dolan as Archbishop of New York with installation at St Patrick’s

Trump Announces ‘Clues’ Found in Nancy Guthrie Disappearance: ‘We Could Have Some Answers’

Man arrested for allegedly threatening to kill JD Vance was in possession of child sexual abuse materials: DOJ

‘Superhuman’ Boy, 13, Swims 4 Hours in Frigid Water then Runs Over a Mile to Rescue His Mother, Sister, and Brother Lost at Sea

Trump says nuclear talks in Oman were ‘very good,’ claims Iran wants a deal ‘very badly’

DeSantis celebrates end of ‘witch hunt’ after Trump DOJ reportedly drops Hope Florida Foundation complaint

Trump vows to ‘unleash’ commercial fishing off New England, reversing Obama-era Atlantic restrictions

Ex-‘Squad’ Dem appears to be leaning on radical activist at center of damning Tlaib report in comeback bid

Deadly Consequences: Illegal Alien Who Was Released by Biden Administration Accused of Killing Innocent Man

Virginia Dems take tax hikes into overtime, target fantasy football leagues

Republican majority at risk? A look at the 6 GOP Senate seats most in jeopardy in midterm elections

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.