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.

Trump tries different approach with Russia to bring Americans relief amid ongoing war with Ukraine

House panel warns Singham-linked nonprofits: Comply with subpoenas or face Congress

Lawsuit Accuses McDonald’s of AI Scheme to Nickel-And-Dime Customers ‘Down to the Last French Fry’

Even NBC Admits It: Trump Rallies Are Galvanizing Voters, Could Impact Midterms in Battleground States

Mamdani praised over move to dismantle controversial NYC industry — but insiders say there’s more to the story

Becoming a lawyer could get cheaper and faster under looming Trump admin shakeup

Michigan Democrat confirms sister-in-law’s terror watchlist lawsuit days before Obama campaign appearance

Top takeaways from JD Vance town hall: Costly gas, DC corruption, immigration hot takes and the war

‘No Kings’ protesters spurn organizers’ rules: ‘This is as partisan as you can get’

Minnesota Senate race takes bizarre turn after dark family history uncovered

Bend school district honors slain teacher, praises staff member’s courage during attack: ‘Forever grateful’

Breaking: Truck Plows Through Youth Soccer Game in ‘Mass Casualty Incident,’ One Child Among Deceased

ICYMI: Omar Corruption Concerns Are Bipartisan – The Biden Admin Investigated Her First

Child among 2 killed after vehicle drives onto soccer field at Kansas sports complex

Bombshell Video Catches Reported Insiders Admitting Somalis Are Paying For, Harvesting Omar Votes

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.