President Trump’s call for the State Department to begin the process of designating certain cartels as global terrorists and foreign terrorist organizations would give his administration more authority to impose economic penalties, travel restrictions and potentially take military action inside foreign countries. It can be granted.
In an executive order issued Monday, President Trump specifically mentioned two gangs operating in the United States. These are Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua and El Salvador’s MS-13. Governments can use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to take additional steps to disrupt gangs’ financial networks.
While MS-13 has been active in the country for decades, Tren de Aragua has had a growing presence in the country in recent years, coinciding with an influx of Venezuelans coming to the United States seeking refuge. .
It’s up to the State Department to decide which organizations to classify as foreign terrorist organizations, a decision that could take months after consulting with other agencies in the federal government. President Trump’s order gave states only 14 days to submit recommendations.
The department typically gives labels to groups with ideological objectives, while drug cartels and gangs have financial motivations.
President Trump previously said he wanted to declare certain Mexican cartels a foreign terrorist organization as a way to put maximum pressure on the country to curb the dangerous drug trade. On Monday, as he signed an executive order in the Oval Office, he said Mexico would probably not be happy with the move.
President Trump attempted to designate the cartel during his first term, but was ultimately deterred by Mexican officials who promised to cooperate with the United States in fighting the cartels. A similar proposal has been submitted to Congress.
Analysts say the designation is not necessary because the U.S. government already has many of these tools it can use against cartels, which is why some warn it could lead to more violence.
If designated by the Department of State, here’s what to expect:
It will send a message to the world.
Labeling cartels sends a message to the world that the United States is serious about defeating cartels.
Supporters of the designation often point to violence against Americans to justify the classification. But military action against the cartels could lead to more organized attacks against Americans, including inside the United States.
“Drug cartels can easily morph into actual terrorist organizations,” said Brian Michael Jenkins, a terrorism expert at the RAND Corporation.
As of now, drug cartels have not carried out politically motivated attacks against Americans or U.S. interests. For example, they do not target U.S. embassies or U.S. ships in the Gulf of Mexico.
“When violence occurs, it’s usually a byproduct of some financial transaction that involves criminal activity related to drug movement,” said Jason Blazakis, former director of the State Department’s Office of Counterterrorism, Finance and Designation. He was referring to the violence committed against Americans by Mexican drug cartels.
Prosecutors can use criminal charges to cast a large net.
Once an organization is classified as a terrorist group, it is against the law for Americans to knowingly support that organization. Considering the country’s drug distribution system – from kingpins to drug traffickers to buyers – the number of people seriously affected could increase significantly, potentially ensnaring those with weaker links to the cartels.
The charge of material support for terrorism carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and in some cases, life in prison if support results in death. It’s not clear what this means for U.S. dealers whose customers die of overdoses.
U.S.-Mexico trade and diplomacy could deteriorate.
Mexico is one of the United States’ largest trading partners. A breakdown in the relationship could have significant economic implications, including for millions of American jobs.
Mexico has also played an essential role in controlling illegal crossings to the United States. If Mexico halts these efforts, illegal migration could increase at a time when reducing illegal migration is a top priority for the new administration.
“The impact on foreign relations would be severe,” said Mr. Blazakis, now a professor at the Middlebury Institute for International Studies in Monterey, California.
