The Mexican cartels are widely recognized as transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) with partners at various levels of Mexican governance. In the past several years, the cartels have become more financially enriched and empowered to carry out organized crime, including mass human trafficking across the Southern border. Designating these cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) under Section 212 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (that is, Section 1182 of Title 8 the U.S. Code) or Section 2656f of Title 22 of the U.S. Code, is both justified and will give American government and law enforcement new and necessary powers to combat and defeat them.
This fact sheet outlines the new authorities an FTO designation would grant the U.S. government to deal with the cartel threat.