(Texas Scorecard) – The Texas Public Policy Foundation is urging the U.S. to designate the Mexican cartels as “Foreign Terrorist Organizations” because of the serious national security threat they pose.
Earlier this week, it was discovered along the river banks in Eagle Pass that cartel operatives are putting colored bracelets on those attempting to cross the border illegally to ensure they have paid the cartels for their services.
News Nation reporter Ali Bradley and Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson Lt. Chris Olivarez discovered names written on blue, green, and yellow bracelets discarded along the river banks.
“This signifies a sophisticated & coordinated effort by the Cartel to control who comes across the border,” Olivarez posted to X.
Olivarez says that the bracelets often signify proof of payment to human smugglers. For instance, if they have a blue bracelet, illegal aliens can only cross in one specific area. If they have a red one, they must cross in a different location.
The border between Mexico and Eagle Pass is controlled by the Cartel del Noreste—a successor cartel to Los Zetas, which was known for its violent tactics such as beheadings and torture.
These violent Mexican cartels have always charged aliens to cross into the U.S. through their “territory,” and those who don’t use the cartels do so at their own risk, according to Olivarez.
The cartels make money off of those attempting to enter illegally and can become violent to those who do not pay. Therefore, TPPF is calling on the federal government to designate these violent cartels as a national security threat.
“Operating with the Mexican government ‘in good faith’ has led to the United States pledging to leave Mexico alone, so long as it controls migration into our nation. This has resulted in two things. First, these efforts have failed to deliver security. Second, the Mexican narco-state has continued to emerge,” wrote Selene Rodriguez, TPPF’s campaign director for Secure and Sovereign Texas.
Rodriguez notes that Texas has taken the lead in defending the state and its citizens, with Gov. Greg Abbott signing an executive order designating Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. The Texas military is also being utilized to protect the border, but more needs to be done to protect the U.S., she says.
“American leaders, and even American states, can no longer deny that Mexican cartels are foreign terrorist organizations with networks of factions, cells, and affiliates that operate with varying degrees of autonomy and coordination in Mexico, Texas, throughout the U.S., and worldwide,” Rodriguez continued. “They constantly adapt to the changing environment and opportunities. Flush with billions in illicit profits and armed with military-grade weapons, the cartels have exploited the chaos at the border to expand their operations. It’s time to face those facts and take action.”
One proposal by Rodriguez is for the Texas Legislature to work toward creating a Texas Division of Homeland Security— previously proposed by Republican lawmakers in 2023. She also says the legislature should “finish the work on creating a Texas Engel List,” which would keep tabs on dangerous Mexican nationals conducting business in Texas.
On the federal level, Rodriguez says that if former President Donald Trump is elected, he should declare Mexican cartels as FTOs.
“We must have a federal FTO designation and unleash every asset available for the full defense of the American people,” wrote Rodriguez. “Adversaries around the globe are actively working in Mexico to undermine the United States’ way of life, destroy democratic values, and kill millions of people in the process. If we do not act now, we leave our children with an America doomed to fall to tyrannical and violent regimes.”
“It’s time for strong and decisive action to restore security and safety to our communities,” she concluded.