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1 1 (December 6, 2019)

handle is hein.crs/govbhxz0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Researh Sevice Designating Mexican Drug Cartels as Foreign Terrorists: Policy Implications December 6, 2019 In a November 26 interview, President Donald Trump revealed his intention to designate Mexico's drug trafficking organizations (DTOs, commonly referred to as cartels) as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs). His comments follow recent incidents that exemplify how Mexican DTOs use violence to control their criminal domains. Earlier in November, after members of an extended family of U.S.-Mexican citizens were killed in Sonora, President Trump tweeted: This is the time for Mexico, with the help of the United States, to wage WAR on the drug cartels.... In October, Mexican security forces launched an unsuccessful operation to capture Ovidio Guzmdin L6pez, a son of the imprisoned drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzmdin. While Guzmdin L6pez was briefly detained, the Sinaloa Cartel responded with overwhelming firepower that brought chaos to the city of Culiacan and ultimately forced the Mexican government to release Guzmdin L6pez. Whether DTO violence meets the criteria for terrorist activity or terrorism, terms defined in U.S. law, was debated during the Obama Administration and continues to be raised by some Members of Congress. President Trump's comments have reinvigorated this debate and drawn consternation from Mexico. Mexican President Andrds Manuel L6pez Obrador, who took office last December, is under pressure to adopt a security strategy that can successfully deal with the DTOs and reduce drug trafficking-related violence. He has rejected the call for a war on DTOs, which he asserts would increase the number of civilian casualties. He and Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard oppose any U.S. intervention that could be construed as a violation of Mexican sovereignty. L6pez Obrador and Ebrard did discuss bilateral efforts against arms trafficking that has fueled DTO-related violence when they met Attorney General William Barr on December 5. Mexico's DTOs Mexican DTOs use extreme violence to control illicit markets. They deter those who interfere in their criminal enterprises with tactics that include kidnapping, torture, murder, narco-nessaging, and intimidation. Drawing attention to their use of violence as a potential terrorist tactic, Mexican DTOs have shot down an army helicopter, outgunned Mexican authorities, and murdered journalists, public officials, and political candidates. Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN11205 CRS NStGHT Prepaimed for Mernbeis and Committees o.i C- --q .. . . . . . . . ...----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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