Houston Daily

Today, Human Events published an opinion piece by Congressman Dan Crenshaw, representing Texas's 2nd District. In the article, Crenshaw calls for the United States to address Mexican drug cartels as terrorist insurgents, arguing they are destabilizing North America. He proposes a new approach called the North American Security Initiative to handle the crisis with appropriate seriousness.

"We are no longer in a war on drugs. We are in a war against transnational insurgents," Crenshaw writes. "The Mexican cartels have conquered territory, corrupted institutions, and operate with paramilitary force. That’s terrorism, plain and simple."

Drawing from his experience living in Colombia during its narco-insurgency period, Crenshaw advocates for a comprehensive counter-insurgency strategy. This would include military actions, intelligence operations, law enforcement measures, judicial reform, and international diplomacy.

Crenshaw notes that Mexico's current administration under President Sheinbaum and Security Secretary Omar Harfuch is willing to combat these threats. He sees this as an opportunity for enhanced U.S.-Mexico cooperation.

As Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee’s Cartel Task Force and a former Navy SEAL, Crenshaw has consistently urged Congress to move beyond treating cartel issues as mere law enforcement problems and to create a cohesive national strategy.

The full op-ed can be read at Human Events under the title: “Mexico’s Cartels Are Terrorist Insurgents—We Need a Strategy to Deal With Them.”