Using “terrorism” as a pretext, Trump increases the pressure

The latest US measures against Mexico appear more like a tool of political pressure than simple security measures.

Last Monday, the State Department updated its travel advisory for Mexico: it kept the country at Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution), but six states were placed at Level 4 (Do Not Travel): Colima, Guerrero, Michoacán, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas. It added a terrorism warning, which until recently was not associated with our country.

The US thus reinforces the tendency to treat certain cartels as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs). However, according to the UN, academics, and Mexican law, terrorism involves political, ideological, or religious purposes, unlike most cartel actions, which have economic objectives: protecting routes, controlling territories, eliminating rivals, or deterring authorities.

There are exceptions: the grenade attack in Morelia in 2008, the use of improvised explosives against security forces, or the assassination of candidates to influence elections. In these cases, there is an intent to intimidate the population or disrupt government decisions. However, everyday violence responds to a criminal logic.

In contrast, the US classifies any violent act committed by a FTO as terrorism, regardless of its motivation. Thus, a cartel attack on a rival convoy, which in Mexico would be considered homicide and organized crime, is considered terrorism by the US.

Yesterday, the Treasury Department sanctioned four individuals and 13 companies linked to the CJNG (National Criminal Investigation Unit) for timeshare real estate fraud in Puerto Vallarta, classifying it as financial terrorism and acting in conjunction with the FBI, the DEA, and the Mexican Federal Intelligence Unit (FIU). The sanctions freeze assets in the US and prohibit its citizens and companies from conducting transactions with those sanctioned.

Meanwhile, President Claudia Sheinbaum's administration is showing internal progress. During his morning press conference last Monday, Secretary of Security Omar García Harfuch reported a 25% reduction in daily homicides, the closure of clandestine laboratories, and the seizure of thousands of weapons and tons of drugs. That same day, Mexico extradited 26 more alleged criminals to the US, bringing the total to 55 so far this year, an indicator of judicial cooperation that contradicts Donald Trump's narrative.

More than coincidence, these combined actions—alerts, sanctions, indictments, and extraditions—demonstrate how security, crime, and corruption are intertwined in a diplomatic strategy with clear political objectives directed from the White House. These include justifying unilateral actions against cartels by classifying them as "terrorism," which creates the framework for military intervention or launching covert operations in Mexico under the guise of self-defense; capitalizing politically in the US with hardline rhetoric that mobilizes its electoral base and diverts attention from the Epstein scandal and domestic problems; and pressuring Mexico through concessions on immigration, border control, and trade, including within the USMCA.

So far, Claudia Sheinbaum has not been intimidated: she has maintained her strategy and priorities, making it clear that Mexico's domestic policy is not defined in the US.

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