If enacted, SB698 would have significant implications for U.S. foreign policy and national security measures concerning drug trafficking and organized crime. Designating these cartels as foreign terrorist organizations would enable the government to apply more stringent sanctions against them and enhance law enforcement capabilities to curb their operations. This could lead to an increase in collaborative efforts between U.S. and Mexican authorities to combat these groups, with potential military or intelligence support under the framework of counter-terrorism laws.
Summary
SB698, also known as the Drug Cartel Terrorist Designation Act, proposes to direct the Secretary of State to classify certain Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. The bill aims to respond to the increasing influence and violent actions of these cartels, which have been implicated in a range of criminal activities that threaten both domestic and international security. Specifically, the bill names four cartels: the Reynosa/Los Metros faction of the Gulf Cartel, the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, and the Sinaloa Cartel for this designation.
Contention
The bill presents notable points of contention among lawmakers. Supporters argue that empowering the U.S. government to designate drug cartels as terrorist organizations is a necessary step to address the escalating violence and drug-related crime affecting communities across the nation. Opponents, however, might raise concerns about the implications of such designations on U.S.-Mexico relations and the potential for military involvement in Mexico. Critics may also question the effectiveness of this approach in addressing the root causes of drug trafficking, suggesting that it could lead to escalation rather than resolution.
Drug Cartel Terrorist Designation ActThis bill directs the Department of State to designate four specified drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. (Among other things, such a designation allows the Department of the Treasury to require U.S. financial institutions to block transactions involving the organization.)The four specified cartels in the bill are the Gulf Cartel, the Cartel Del Noreste, the Cartel de Sinaloa, and the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion.The bill also requires the State Department to submit a detailed report on those four cartels and any other cartels it may identify. Based on this report, the State Department must designate as a foreign terrorist organization any such identified cartel (or faction thereof) that meets certain criteria for designation as a foreign terrorist organization.The bill specifies that it may not be construed to expand eligibility for asylum.
Security First Act This bill reauthorizes the Operation Stonegarden program from FY2024 through FY2027 and addresses other border security issues. (Operation Stonegarden provides grants to enhance the border security capabilities of state, local, and tribal governments.) From FY2024 through FY2027, the money from unreported monetary instruments seized from individuals crossing the U.S.-Mexico border and transferred into the Department of the Treasury general fund shall be made available without further appropriation to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to fund Operation Stonegarden. DHS must report to Congress on (1) DHS hiring practices from 2018 to 2021, and (2) whether certain Mexican drug cartels meet the criteria to be designated as foreign terrorist organizations. DHS must also periodically report to Congress about the technology needed to secure the U.S.-Mexico land border.
Campaign finance: contributions and expenditures; provision related to officeholders raising funds when facing a recall; modify, and require candidate to establish a separate account used for recall purposes. Amends secs. 3, 11, 12, 21, 24 & 52 of 1976 PA 388 (MCL 169.203 et seq.) & adds sec. 21b.
Campaign finance: contributions and expenditures; funds donated to a candidate for recall efforts; require candidate to establish a separate account used for recall purposes. Amends secs. 3, 11, 12, 21, 24 & 52 of 1976 PA 388 (MCL 169.203 et seq.) & adds sec. 21b.
A concurrent resolution recognizing wild rice as sacred and central to the culture and health of Indigenous Peoples in Minnesota and critical to the health and identity of all Minnesota citizens and ecosystems and establishing a commitment to passing legislation to protect wild rice and the freshwater resources upon which it depends.