Family of U.S. Children Slaughtered by Cartel Ask Trump to Designate ‘La Linea’ as Terrorist Group

A group of families who had their loved ones slaughtered by drug cartels are asking the Trump administration to designate the Juarez Cartel and its armed wing La Linea, as foreign terrorist organizations. The move would place that cartel on the same list as six other Mexican cartels previously designated as FTOs

In a letter sent to the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the members of American Families Against Cartel Terrorism asked Trump administration officials to designate La Linea and the Juarez Cartel as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs). As Breitbart Texas reported, the Juarez Cartel is one of the groups behind the November 2019 murder of nine American women and children from the Lebaron family just miles south of the New Mexico border.

The request was first reported by ABC, which obtained a copy of the letter from group members.

“This is not just about our families, it is about keeping Americans safe and getting justice for all American victims and ensuring that no American is left behind,” ABC quoted from the letter. “We ask you to designate the Juárez Cartel and its armed wing La Línea, as FTOs, and keep sending a clear message that the United States will not tolerate the murder of innocent Americans or the terrorization of our communities.”

The members of American Families Against Cartel Terrorism include members of the Lebaron family who have been fighting for years for La Linea and the Juarez Cartel to be listed as terrorists. In the aftermath of the 2019 murder, Mexico’s government has made some arrests and convictions. However, government officials have been largely accused of covering up and minimizing the case.

Mexican officials claimed that the gunmen mistook the U.S. family for rivals who were traveling along a deserted highway when they shot at them and then tried to torch their vehicles and bodies as a way to cover up their crime.