Fixing The Border Starts With Calling Mexican Cartels Terrorists

The ongoing border crisis has raised an important question among policymakers and average citizens: Are we dealing with an immigration problem or a security problem? Each lens requires a different response. But the fact is, the border crisis is not primarily an immigration problem. We are facing the greatest national security crisis in our nation’s history.

Years of an unchecked, unsecured border has left the American people to suffer at the will of Mexican drug cartels. We have been unable to counter this threat because thus far, we have insisted on viewing the problem only as an immigration issue, leaving us unable to engage security assets and resources that could help us win the war against our adversaries. 

But when we look at it through the lens of security, we recognize Mexican cartels for what they are: foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs). Further, we recognize Mexico as what it has become: a failing state, burdened by a tyrannical government that not only sponsors terrorism but also shields cartels as they undermine the rule of law and threaten regional stability.

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. 

This leaves the American people with a national security crisis, a public safety crisis, and a crisis of constitutional governance. To quote the U.S. Marine Corps, “How we view the combat environment in large part determines how we operate in it.” Likewise, how we label and perceive the border situation will shape our strategic response, the allocation of resources, and, most critically, our ability to secure it.

Texas took the lead when the federal government abandoned its primary responsibility of public safety and homeland defense. In 2022, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed an executive order designating Mexican cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations.” He also sent a formal request to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris requesting federal terrorist classifications for the Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel, as well as other cartels producing and distributing fentanyl. 

Texas has used its military forces for their proper and primary purpose, in the defense of the Lone Star State’s own territory and citizenry. As my colleague Joshua Treviño noted in congressional testimony, “Texas has linked commerce and security with the implementation of secondary inspections at ports of entry.” Texas has also pursued innovative solutions for border barrier infrastructure. 

While this is a short list of state actions taken in defense of sovereignty, there is much more work to be done. 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. 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.

In Texas, the legislature should work toward the creation of a Texas Division of Homeland Security, a proposal initiated in 2023. As the state with the largest share of the U.S.-Mexico border, Texas should be adequately equipped to counter threats emanating from the border and into every corner of Texas. 

By bringing back a bill that was close to the finish line in 2023, the legislature should finish the work on creating a Texas Engel List, which would keep tabs on dangerous Mexican nationals conducting business in Texas. The state should gather credible intel on Mexican businesses, as well as politicians with ties to the cartels, and penalize those on the list. 

The first requirement of a commander is to understand the situation. Again, in the words of the Marines, “A leader must make decisions in a constantly changing environment of friction, uncertainty, and danger. Making effective decisions and acting on those decisions faster than the enemy is a crucial element of Marine Corps tactics.”

As such, if elected — and as he has planned — President Trump must immediately declare Mexican cartels FTOs. This is a measure he considered during his presidency, but ultimately abandoned.

We must have a federal FTO designation and unleash every asset available for the full defense of the American people. As Treviño wrote last year, “The foreign-terror organization designation is a tried-and-true mechanism for bringing the full array of American power and justice against terroristic organizations abroad that menace the wellbeing and safety of American homes and communities.”

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.

Selene Rodriguez is the campaign director for the Secure and Sovereign Texas campaign at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. She previously served in the Marine Corps as an intelligence specialist. Born and raised in Del Rio, Texas, Rodriguez graduated from Texas State University with a B.A. and M.A. in Political Science.