President Trump Puts “Temporary Hold” on Designating Mexican Drug Cartels as Terrorist Organizations

Following a visit to Mexico by U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr, earlier today President Trump announced he was putting a “temporary hold” on the designation of Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations.

It looks like President Donald Trump has once again created a significant amount of leverage for Mexican President Lopez-Obrador to continue working with the Trump administration on a variety of security (border and immigration) and economic (USMCA) aspects.

(US DOJ) […] Attorney General Barr and Mexican Government counterparts discussed a broad range of issues including their shared commitment to protecting the security and safety of the citizens of both the United States and Mexico from transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) as well as how our countries work together to combat drug, human, and arms trafficking. They talked about the importance of targeting illicit financial networks and disrupting the illicit movement of cash, weapons, and drugs, combatting corruption, and strengthening cooperation on bringing members of TCOs to justice. (more)