Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wants the Biden administration to take “immediate action” against Mexican drug cartels by designating them as foreign terrorist organizations.
In a Thursday letter to President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Abbott took aim at the “dangerous and deadly” Mexican drug cartels he claims meet all three standards for the designation — including being a threat to US national security and regularly engaging in terrorist acts like kidnappings and assassinations.
“They smuggle narcotics and weapons into the United States to fund their illegal enterprises,” the Republican governor wrote. “They force women and children into human and sex trafficking, enriching themselves on the misery and enslavement of immigrants. They murder innocent people, including women and children.”
Abbott claimed “it is time” for the feds to react appropriately and label Mexican crime syndicates like Los Zetas and the Gulf Cartel as foreign terrorist groups under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
The move would “bolster much-needed tools” to fight crime along the US-Mexico border, Abbott said.
“The sooner they get it done, the sooner America can secure the border and protect Americans from these deadly threats,” the letter continued.
Abbott, an outspoken critic of the Biden administration, has criticized the commander-in-chief for his response to the surge of unaccompanied migrant children at the border, while calling for immigration policies of former President Donald Trump to be reinstated.
“This problem will continue to get worse because [of] the policies that have been adopted by the Biden administration,” Abbott told Fox News on Sunday. “[President Biden] could continue to build the wall along the border in South Texas. He could send a stronger message that these people should not be coming here.”
Abbott said his latest message to the White House was the fourth letter he’s sent to the Biden administration on what he called an ongoing “humanitarian crisis” along the nation’s southern border.
The previous letters have “thus far gone unanswered,” Abbott said.
A message seeking comment from the White House press office was not immediately returned Friday.
