How to Halt the Flow of Weapons Arming Mexican Cartels

How to Halt the Flow of Weapons Arming Mexican Cartels

Trump should use terrorist designations to target U.S. suppliers.

The barrels of assault rifles are seen neatly arranged in rows on a table on top of a blue tablecloth. August 20, 2025, 12:29 PM Comment icon View Comments ( )

Trump’s Second Term

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The U.S. State Department’s recent designation of five Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) may well be a prelude to U.S. military action against them, something that President Donald Trump first threatened in November 2019. A few months after that, he proposed missiles strikes against drug labs in Mexico, according to then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper. Now, with the FTO designations in place, Trump has secretly directe