President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday that could designate drug cartels in Mexico as foreign terrorist organizations, a move that has some bipartisan support, while experts have expressed caution about that approach and suggested that Congress pass legislation to deal with the issue.
The order directs officials to examine whether drug cartels, which are blamed for transnational crimes and the flow of fentanyl into the United States, should be officially designated as foreign terrorist groups as defined by the State Department.
The directive gave the secretary of State two weeks to recommend whether any cartel should be designated as a foreign terrorist group, as well as make operational preparations to implement any decision Trump makes on the issue.
