SECRETARY OF STATE SAYS MEXICAN CARTELS OUTGUN LOCAL FORCES, CONTROL TERRITORY BEYOND FEDERAL REACH
WASHINGTON, D.C. — November 13, 2025. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued one of the strongest warnings to date about the operational strength of Mexican criminal organizations, calling them “transnational terrorist groups” with firepower, intelligence, and territorial control surpassing many national governments.
Speaking at a State Department press briefing, Rubio said the cartels “possess more weapons, better training, better intelligence, and more capabilities than many nation-states.” He emphasized that in parts of Mexico, the groups “govern territory beyond the reach of federal authorities,” posing a binational security threat.
Rubio’s remarks build on his September decision to officially designate major cartels — including Sinaloa and Jalisco Nueva Generación — as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), a move that expanded sanctions and allowed the U.S. to target their assets and financial networks.
Despite his aggressive posture, Rubio insisted the Biden-era precedent of avoiding unilateral military action on Mexican soil remains in place. “The United States must work with Mexico, not act alone,” he said. “This is a shared crisis: trafficking, weapons, money, and instability flow in both directions.”
That point quickly gained traction online after viewers noted that a major driver of cartel militarization has been weapons trafficked from the U.S. into Mexico. ATF tracing data from 2024–2025 confirms that 70–90% of firearms recovered at Mexican crime scenes originate in the United States, including rifles, pistols, and converted automatic weapons.
Critics argue U.S. policy has long overlooked this supply chain despite calling for tougher counter-cartel operations. “You can’t talk about cartel firepower without acknowledging where the guns come from,” wrote one user in a viral reply.
Security analysts say both nations face political obstacles: Mexico resists U.S. intervention narratives, while the U.S. confronts domestic gun-policy gridlock and limited leverage over cross-border smuggling.
Rubio maintains that his FTO designations and joint intelligence task forces will “tighten the noose” on cartel finances, logistics, and leadership — but acknowledged that dismantling their territorial control will require “years of coordinated pressure.”
The statements mark one of the clearest articulations of Washington’s evolving stance: cartel violence is no longer seen as organized crime, but as regional insurgency with geopolitical implications.
