The Situation Room - January 22nd

Good morning everyone,

I’m Trent Barr, and welcome to The Situation Room!

Trump announces plans to designate cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. Germany politicians are debating further aid disbursement to Ukraine amid funding disputes. The former president of Bolivia claims that there is a CIA presence inside the country.

Let’s get to it!

• Trump declares cartels as foreign terrorist organizations

• Billions more in aid to Ukraine debated by German politicians

• CIA presence inside Bolivia claimed by former president

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Trump Declares Cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations

_{By: Trent Barr, Staff Writer for Atlas}

President Donald Trump announced plans to designate Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations “immediately” during a forum hosted by Turning Point in Phoenix, Arizona, on Sunday. During his speech, President Trump stated that the full might of the federal government will target such organizations, promising the participation of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Border Patrol, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Tensions Rise

This plan follows a similar, previously abandoned plan under the president’s previous administration following talks with Mexico’s previous president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO). The original plan was spurred by the murder of nine Americans, including three women and six children, in Mexico who were killed in an ambush believed to have been carried out by a faction of the Juárez Cartel known as the La Línea Cartel. President Trump announced a pause of the process to designate various cartels as terrorist organizations, stating that López Obrador was "a man who I like and respect and has worked so well with us," before adding that the two governments were increasing joint operations against cartels.

However, President Trump’s decision to resume the process to designate cartels as terrorist organizations may point towards a falling out with López Obrador and a possible strained relationship with his successor, Claudia Sheinbaum, who was elected Mexico's next president on June 2, 2024. The announced plan also follows threats by President Trump to enact strict tariffs against Mexico if they fail to curb the trafficking of fentanyl across the US-Mexico border. Fentanyl has been a key focus for President Trump since his previous administration, during which Trump announced that the drug, alongside the larger opioid epidemic, was a "national emergency."

Throughout both President Trump's and President Joe Biden’s terms, the Mexican government has denied being the source of fentanyl entering the US, instead placing the blame on the People's Republic of China. These claims gained some credibility following the seizure of 75 lbs of fentanyl and methamphetamine in May 2023, which was smuggled within fuel resin on board a cargo ship intercepted in Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico. The cargo was shipped from Qingdao, China, before passing through Busan, South Korea, according to Mexican Navy Secretary Rafael Ojeda.

Following the bust, López Obrador told the press, “In a very respectful manner, we are going to send this information to reiterate the request that they [China] help us [address the trafficking of fentanyl]."

Following news of the bust, Chinese Spokeswoman Mao Ning denied any trafficking of the drug into Mexico from China, stating that there “is no such thing as illegal trafficking of fentanyl between China and Mexico. The two countries have a smooth channel of counternarcotics cooperation, and the competent authorities of the two countries maintain sound communication. China has not been notified by Mexico on the seizure of scheduled fentanyl precursors from China.”

Doubts regarding Mexico’s alleged innocence in the trafficking of fentanyl have only risen following the country’s largest bust of the drug in national history in December, 2024. The bust is believed to have been motivated by President Trump’s threats of increased tariffs on Mexico, as the seizure of the drug occurred a mere week after the president’s announced plans to launch tariffs. The bust itself led to the seizure of 100 kilograms of the drug in Ahome, Sinaloa, across two properties in the municipality. The total value of the seized narcotics is believed to be worth an estimated $400 million, according to law enforcement.

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