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.

DHS shutdown explained: Who works without pay, what happens to airports and disaster response

Trump’s $12B rare earth plan targets China as experts warn US is ‘one crisis away’

Walz proposes $10M business relief package as Republicans cry ‘new avenue for fraud’ in Minnesota

Shooting at South Carolina State University leaves two dead

Puerto Rico governor signs law recognizing unborn babies as human beings

Over 700 arrested amid major gang and drug crackdown in Louisiana

Sanctuary policies let alleged child predator roam free until DHS made Portland, Oregon, airport arrest

Over 1.5 million illegal aliens with deportation orders in US, ICE director reveals

Arizona sheriff blocking FBI from key evidence in escalating Guthrie case: source

Obama Judge Just Knowingly Released 4 Violent Illegals – 1 Ethiopian Pedophile and 3 Cuban Murderers, According to ICE – Onto US Streets

Canadian Police Double Down on Respecting Trans Killer’s Gender Identity, Will Use Preferred Pronouns

Newsom stop in key presidential primary state sparks more 2028 speculation

Noem slams Dems blocking DHS funding bill citing TSA, FEMA, Coast Guard: ‘I hope they come to their senses’

FBI reveals new evidence, including backpack details, in Nancy Guthrie disappearance, doubles reward to $100K

‘Proudly Fixing This Stupid Feature’: Obama-Era Regulation Gets Axed by Trump Admin

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.