The United States does not rule out designating the Mexican cartels as terrorist groups

First modification: 03/23/2023 – 03:51

Relations between the United States and Mexico are not going through the best moment, after the last few weeks have clouded ties between neighboring countries despite the constant collaboration that exists due to security problems and synthetic narcotics that the Latin American country has.

In a new chapter of disputes, this time it was the Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, who ignited the controversy. In an appearance before a committee of the United States Senate, the diplomat remarked that the Administration does not rule out the possibility of classifying the Mexican cartels as terrorist groups.

The importance of this would be more symbolic than action. Blinken himself stressed that this appointment would not leave Washington with more tools to counter the problems generated by Aztec criminal gangs.

In addition, he asserted that there are parts of the Mexican territory that are controlled by criminal groups and that the government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador cannot break with that structure.

“I think it is fair to say yes,” the diplomat said when asked by Lindsey Graham, a member of the South Carolina Republican Party. “First of all, Senator, you are absolutely right about the insecurity in Mexico. The people themselves Mexican is the number one victim of that insecurity,” he added.

However, during his statements, the Secretary of State highlighted the close work that Mexico and the United States do together to combat insecurity and, above all, the control of fentanyl.

The official stressed that an increase in technology is necessary to prevent the entry of these drugs onto US soil, detailing that a large part enters through legal channels without being detected.

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Blinken also highlighted that the López Obrador government has seized record amounts of this synthetic drug, dismantling laboratories and arresting gang members.

Relations between countries took a hit recently after two Americans were killed – and four in total have been kidnapped – by members of Mexican cartels by mistake in Matamoros, a town near the border.

Reply from Mexico: “How dare they say that we do nothing?”

The reactions of the politicians of the Latin American country were different from each other. On the one hand, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard downplayed the statements and said that he saw Blinken “very pressured.”

On the other hand, he did criticize the “politicking” that the Republicans try to do -according to his point of view- by disqualifying Mexico for electoral purposes. “Senator Graham knows that what he is doing is false, how dare they say that we do nothing?” He pointed out in relation to the problem with fentanyl.

The US diplomat’s comments did give rise to the benefit of the Mexican opposition. The president of the National Action Front, Marko Cortés, cited the fragment of Blinken’s appearance on Twitter to criticize the management of López Obrador.

“In the United States, it is denounced with more force every day that the embraces of criminals by the Government of López Obrador expanded territories under the control of criminal groups, causing more homicides, insecurity and violence,” he wrote.

Finally, the Mexican president, who has launched strong comments in recent days against the United States, saying that it was more insecure than Mexico and that there was more democracy in his country, accused the US State Department of being a “liar.”

The reason is because the body prepared a report on violence and human rights violations against civilians that are exercising the security forces. Despite the criticism from the Mexican head of state, the State Department collected information from local groups that denounced an increase in the mistreatment of some units in the framework of operations against criminal gangs.

With EFE and local media