Representative Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) shared on social media that he has requested Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to establish a Select Committee on Cartels to address the criminal gangs that reside south of America's border. The Texas congressman said that President-elect Donald Trump (R) has an opportunity to work with local Mexican governments to rid the continent of the cartels and their gruesome practices.
“The Mexican government's policy of not confronting the cartels has often left local officials in the uncomfortable position of having to deal with the local gangs, and even in some cases, hand over part of the municipal budget to them.”
President Trump has a unique opportunity…
— Rep. Dan Crenshaw (@RepDanCrenshaw) January 2, 2025
"The cartels are an insurgency - mixing organized crime, terrorist acts, and occasional false benevolence to keep the population under control," said Rep. Crenshaw. He would later add that addressing this problem should be a "major priority" for the incoming 119th Congress.
In 2023, Crenshaw, along with Representative Mike Waltz (R-FL), penned legislation that would provide the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) against Mexican cartels.
“The cartels are war with us – poisoning more than 80,000 Americans with fentanyl every year, creating a crisis at our border, and turning Mexico into a failed narco-state,” Rep. Crenshaw said. “It’s time we directly target them. My legislation will put us at war with the cartels by authorizing the use of military force against the cartels. We cannot allow heavily armed and deadly cartels to destabilize Mexico and import people and drugs into the United States. We must start treating them like ISIS – because that is who they are.”
Should Crenshaw get his wish, the proposed Select Committee on Cartels could work with President-elect Trump and find a solution to curb the influence and criminality of the Mexican cartels in the future.
