President-elect Donald Trump's team is considering designating Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations, a plan that was previously discussed but did not materialize during his first term in office. The idea was initially put on hold in late 2019 at the request of then-Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
The proposal to designate drug cartels as terrorist groups faced opposition from both career officials and political appointees within Trump's Justice Department. Despite the initial setback, Republicans have continued to advocate for the designation, with some introducing legislation to label specific cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
