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.

Minnesota man captured in Somalia after allegedly helping orchestrate $250M child nutrition fraud scheme

New Mexico AG launches criminal investigation into DEA over allegations agents let fentanyl flood state

Missing 1200-pound giraffe Gracie found 2 weeks after wandering away from ranch in viral search

Texas Board of Education approves required reading list with Bible passages for 5 million students

Mamdani’s Socialist Dream is Becoming a Reality as NYC Freezes 1 Million Rents

Warren tells Trump to ‘sign the damn bill’ as bipartisan housing package remains stalled in Washington

‘Baked to death’: Homan rips media while sharing horrific scenes from border enforcement career

GOP is Launching Election Integrity Project with Page from Soros Playbook

Bill Barr calls on Senate GOP to confirm Todd Blanche for attorney general

New limited-edition US passport features Trump’s image and a warning

Judge Shuts Down Tyler Robinson’s Attempt to Dodge Death Penalty

Trump Says Iran Just Committed ‘a Foolish Violation of Our Ceasefire Agreement’

Just Years After Strict Mask Mandates, Minneapolis Lifts Ban on AIDS Superspreader Establishments During Gay ‘Pride’ Month

House Democrat lashes out when grilled on whether socialist victories would threaten Dem unity

Trump admin cracks down on estimated $10 billion in Obamacare fraud, boots millions from rolls

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.