The Pan-American Post: "During a Congressional hearing on the Merida Initiative, Representative Michael McCaul (R-TX) called once again for Mexican drug cartels to be formally designated as “terrorists.” “The drug cartels intimidate and coerce the civilian population, affect the conduct of the Mexican government and threaten the national security of the United States. This is the very essence of ‘terrorism,’” said McCaul during his opening statements for the Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing on Tuesday.
McCaul first introduced legislation to designate the Mexican drug cartels “foreign terrorist organizations” in March. Since then the bill has stalled in Congress, and it’s likely to stay that way. If the U.S. government should list criminal syndicates like the Zetas alongside designated terrorist groups like the FARC and the AUC, it would create significant diplomatic tensions with Mexico. The other question is what would change, in terms of policy, if the U.S. began categorizing the Mexican cartels in such a way. "
The MexicoBlog of the Americas Program, a fiscally sponsored program of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), is written by Laura Carlsen. I monitor and analyze international press on Mexico, with a focus on security, immigration, human rights and social movements for peace and justice, from a feminist perspective. And sometimes I simply muse.
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