Poll: Most Want to Designate Mexican Cartels as Terrorist Organizations

Most likely voters want the U.S. government to designate Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations, a Rasmussen Reports survey released Wednesday found.

The survey found most take the threat of Mexican drug cartels seriously, as 79 percent said it is either very or somewhat serious. Of those, 55 percent said Mexican drug cartels pose a “very” serious threat to the U.S. There is bipartisan consensus as well, as most Democrats (74 percent), Republicans (89 percent), and independents (74 percent) view it as a serious threat to the nation.

The survey also asked respondents if the U.S. government should designate Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations, and most, 69 percent, said yes, it should. Once again, there is bipartisan consensus as 65 percent of Democrats, 80 percent of Republicans, and 63 percent of independents believe the government should designate the Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations.

Per Rasmussen Reports:

President Joe Biden’s strongest opponents are most concerned about the cartel threat. Among voters who Strongly Disapprove of Biden’s job performance as president, 86% say the Mexican drug cartels are a Very Serious threat to the United States, and only seven percent (7%) are against designating the cartels as terrorist organizations. By contrast, among those who Strongly Approve of Biden’s performance, 34% view the Mexican cartels as a Very Serious threat and 26% are against designating the drug cartels as terrorist organizations.

The survey was taken March 9 and 12-13, 2023, among 950 likely U.S. voters and has a +/- 3 percent margin of error.

Lawmakers have moved to address the issue, as Sens. Rick Scott (R-FL) and Roger Marshall (R-KS) reintroduced the Drug Cartel Terrorist Designation Act this month, which would designate Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations.

A cartel-connected Mexican official who was the target of a police operation evaded arrest by flying away in an unregistered helicopter with no tail numbers. https://t.co/7EDnFz4kAg

— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) December 12, 2022

“What happened in Mexico yesterday was a tragedy and a symptom of a larger problem stemming from the culture supported by our national leadership,” Marshall said in a statement following news of four Americans kidnapped in Mexico, two of whom died.

According to the AP,  “Two of four Americans were killed in Mexico when their van was caught in the crossfire of rival cartel groups last week, a top Mexican official said Tuesday.”

“The drug cartels have taken full advantage of the culture of lawlessness Joe Biden has created by leaving our southern border wide open, promoting cashless bail, defunding the police, turning his back on violent riots, and denying the fentanyl crisis is created by his policies,” Marshall continued, accusing the White House of being “derelict in its duty to execute the law faithfully and protect the homeland, which is why our country needs the Drug Cartel Terrorist Designation Act to give federal authorities more power to preserve every Americans’ safety and security.”

Sen. Scott also pointed to President Biden’s “botched border policies” emboldening criminals.

He said:

For too long, Biden’s botched border policies have prioritized criminals and cartels over legal immigration and Americans’ safety. Dictators, cartels and bad guys around the world know that Biden is a weak appeaser with open border policies. They’re taking full advantage by trafficking evil drugs like fentanyl across the southern border, poisoning our communities and killing our loved ones. Those who knowingly distribute these highly lethal drugs are declaring war on Americans and deserve to be held accountable and classified as the terrorists they are.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Merrick Garland believes there are “diplomatic concerns” related to designating the Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations.

“They are already designated in any number of ways and sanctioned,” Garland said during a recent Senate Judiciary Committee hearing . “I wouldn’t oppose it, but again, I want to point out that there are diplomatic concerns. We need the assistance of Mexico in this.”