DRUGS/FOREIGN POLICY/IMMIGRATION/MEXICO/TERRORISM/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A border wall. Mass deportations. Punishing tariffs. A halt to foreign aid. An end to a decades-old trade deal. For years, President Trump has pressured or wielded threats against Mexico, hoping to force a policy change, excite his political base, or both. This week, he did it again, announcing that he planned to designate Mexican drug trafficking groups as terrorist organizations. Mr. Trump, who made the remarks in an interview with the former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, didn’t specify which of the mosaic of criminal groups he intended to slap with the label. But the reaction in Mexico has been swift — and negative — as the nation considered the implications. Mexican officials have suggested that the terrorist designations could challenge their nation’s sovereignty, and the foreign minister, Marcelo Ebrard, is seeking high-level talks with Trump administration officials about the matter.”
–Kirk Semple and Lara Jakes, “Mexican Leader Draws Line on Trump Terrorist Plan: ‘Interventionism: No’,” The New York Times online, November 27, 2019