US President Donald Trump wants to classify Mexican drug cartels as “terrorist organizations” because of their involvement in drug and human trafficking. He said that in a TV interview on Tuesday.
According to Trump, the process to label the cartels as terrorist organizations is “in full swing”. The president stated in the interview with the conservative TV personality Bill O’Reilly on his favorite channel Fox News that he has been working on the plan for the past three months.
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Tuesday in a reaction that Mexico wants to talk to the US government at a high level to discuss Trump’s plan. In that meeting, the ministry also wants to discuss how the influx of illegal weapons and money from the US can be curbed to criminal groups in Mexico.
Earlier this month, Trump stated on Twitter that it was time for Mexico to “wage war against the drug cartels” with American help. The president did that after an attack by cartel members in northern Mexico killed nine Mormons who had both a Mexican and American passport.