TX – Texas Governor Greg Abbott has been blowing punches at President Joe Biden and his immigration policies for quite some time now. He is not at all in favor of the open-border policies adopted by the President, which has led to the overcrowding of border detention centers.
Now he has written another letter to President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris highlighting the problem of Mexican drug cartels. Abbott revealed how the Mexican drug cartels have become a threat to the US as these cartels are leaking drugs into American soil.
“As Governor of Texas, I urge you to take immediate action to combat the dangerous and deadly Mexican drug cartels. These cartels bring terror into our communities. They smuggle narcotics and weapons into the United States to fund their illegal enterprises. They force women and children into human and sex trafficking, enriching themselves in the misery and enslavement of immigrants. They murder innocent people, including women and children,” he stated in his letter.
Abbott Wants Biden To Label Mexican Drug Cartels As Terrorist Organizations
Biden has already been receiving a lot of criticism for his border policies. Even the approval ratings suggest that Americans are not happy with his stance on immigration. Governor Abbott feels the Mexican drug cartels are doing enough harm to the US to label them as terrorist organizations. This would tighten the vigilance around such cartels and reduce the influx of drugs and crimes caused by such cartels.
Abbott said: “These Mexican drug cartels are foreign terrorist organizations, and it is time for the federal government to designate them as such. Securing the border and defending our nation from foreign threats is the federal government’s responsibility. Designating the Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 USC § 1189, will bolster much-needed tools to secure the border and protect innocent lives from these dangerous drug cartels.”
Abbott Gives Reasons For Labeling Mexican Cartels As Terrorist Groups
Abbott also gave the reason behind why Biden should declare Mexican drug cartels as terrorist groups. There have been many incidents in the past wherein big Mexican drug cartels have been involved in terrorist activities like assaults and kidnapping. The cartels are also responsible for the supply of arms and drugs from Mexico to the US. All of these are enough reasons to declare these cartels as terrorist groups.
“Major Mexican drug cartels like Los Zetas and the Gulf Cartel easily qualify as foreign terrorist organizations, as they are foreign organizations that engage in textbook terrorist activity such as kidnapping, assassination, and endangering lives with explosives and firearms. These drug cartels also traffic illegal narcotics and weapons into the United States,” he said.
Governor Abbott sincerely feels that taking this measure would help the federal government in tackling these cartels more efficiently. He further stated in his letter: “Designating Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations will give your administration new ways to fight back. Providing material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization is a federal crime of extraterritorial jurisdiction, punishable in some cases by life imprisonment.”
Abbott Reveals Success Of Operation Lone Star
Abbott had earlier launched Operation Lone Star to reduce the crime near the Texas-Mexico border. The aim was to catch the cartels and criminals involved in human trafficking and the smuggling of drugs. It has only been a month since the launch of the operation and it has already found a lot of success.
“The State of Texas launched Operation Lone Star on March 6 of this year to combat the Mexican cartels from smuggling people and drugs into Texas. In a little over a month, this operation has arrested nearly 800 criminals and seized more than 3,800 pounds of marijuana, nearly 19 pounds of cocaine, and nearly 50 firearms. These trafficking operations not only bring dangerous contraband into our communities, but they also fund these Mexican drug cartels, which enables them to continue terrorizing innocent lives. The cartels fuel the ongoing crisis at the border. By exploiting America’s border policies, the cartels have increased their power and wealth at the expense of innocent lives that get in their way. Prompt action is needed under Section 219,” he added.
