Trump Says Cartels Will Be Designated as Terrorist Organizations, but Mexico Says "No"

President Donald Trump announced in an interview on Tuesday that Mexican cartels will be designated as terrorists. The announcement of Trump triggered the Mexican government to have a bilateral-talk. Trump said "We're losing 100,000 people a year to... .what's coming through Mexico and they [the cartels] have unlimited money . . . it's drug money and human trafficking money."

In an article published in Mexico News Daily, Secretariat of Foreign Affairs (SRE) release a statement that Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard will contact immediately Michael R. Pompeo to discuss matters about the said pronouncement of Trump. SRE said that it is very important to have an immediate high-level of bilateral talks since the U.S. government and Mexico are in a good relation. This is also to understand the point of view of the United States and the stand of the Mexican government.

It can be recalled that President Lopez Obrador repeatedly asserted on Wednesday that he will go for cooperation, but not for intervention. Obrador also believed that it is not necessary to designate the Mexican cartels as terrorists and this is something that the Mexican government will not allow to happen.

Trump announced that the Mexican cartel will be designated as terrorists after the incident that happened to the LeBaron family who lost nine members of the family including children. Trump's decision might also be based on the petition posted on the White House website. Meanwhile, it can also be recalled that some of the U.S. lawmakers have been urging the U.S. government to declare the Mexican Cartel as terrorists early this year.

What will happen if a group is declared as terrorists?

First, they will not be allowed to enter the territory of the country and members of the organization who are already in the country will be deported. Meanwhile, people who will be known to support the terrorist groups in any forms most especially financial needs will also face the same consequences.

The announcement of Trump was already aired and posted in some of Mexico's newspapers and radio shows. In one of the newspapers that operate in Mexico, it says that the designation of Mexican Cartel as terrorists will only complicate the strained bilateral agenda of Mexico and America.

Moreover, the former Mexican ambassador to the United States said that the designation might result in financial, diplomatic, economic, and commercial consequences, and this would also affect the image of Mexicans living in the United States because they might also be dubbed as terrorists.

An editor-in-chief from a well-known newspaper company in Mexico commented also that the move of Trump is politically motivated as he knew right at the very beginning whether or not he will do it as this could have a high return in his political career. Moreover, Luis Miguel Gonzalez said that Trump's decision to designate Mexican Cartel as terrorists will only complicate its ratification on the North American Trade Agreement and its planned bilateral talks. Gonzalez also predicted that Trump will only use Mexico in his reelection bid on the 2020 elections.

Gonzalez wrote "Will Trump take the Mexican piñata out of the garage? You can bet that he will. Perhaps he won't dare to break it because of the high risk that implies."