Texas Gov. Abbott calls on Biden, Harris to apply ‘terrorist’ label to Mexican cartels: report
The governor has been a vocal critic of the Biden administration
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wants the Biden administration to declare Mexico’s drug cartels to be terrorist organizations.
Abbott, a Republican, shared his views Thursday in a letter to President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, KFOX 14 of El Paso, Texas, reported.
"As Governor of Texas, I urge you to take immediate action to combat the dangerous and deadly Mexican drug cartels," Abbott wrote. "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 on the misery and enslavement of immigrants. They murder innocent people, including women and children. These Mexican drug cartels are foreign terrorist organizations, and it is time for the federal government to designate them as such."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"These cartels bring terror into our communities. They smuggle narcotics and weapons into the United States to fund their illegal enterprises."
Abbott, 63, has been the governor of Texas since 2015. In March he launched "Operation Lone Star," a plan to prevent cartels from smuggling drugs and people into Texas that calls for beefing up the presence of Texas state police and National Guard personnel along the border, among other measures.
The governor has been a vocal critic of the Biden administration, claiming earlier this month during an appearance on Fox News’ "Hannity" that the White House has been "doing absolutely nothing" to stop child sexual assault at a U.S. holding facility for migrant youths in San Antonio, Texas. Abbott has called for the facility to be shuttered.
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Previously, Abbott told Fox News host Sean Hannity that the Biden administration was "clearly in violation" of federal law for allegedly cramming migrants into holding facilities inside the U.S.
The governor alleged that Biden administration policies along the border also posed a risk of spreading the coronavirus, he told Hannity.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}To read Abbott’s full Thursday letter to Biden and Harris, CLICK HERE.