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Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) designated cartels as “terrorist organizations” over their mass smuggling of fentanyl through the southern border, resulting in hundreds of thousands of American overdose deaths.
“Texans are victimized by Mexican cartels that produce and import (fentanyl). The cartels are terrorists, and it’s about time we started treating them that way,” Abbott said Wednesday during a press conference in Midland.
“So today, I have issued this executive order designating cartels as terrorists in Texas.”
“I’ve also directed Texas agencies to alert the public about the fentanyl crisis, including schools and workplaces through mediums like social media and public service announcements to make clear, that truly one pill can kill,” Abbott said.
The Texas governor called for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to follow suit and classify cartels as terrorist organizations at the federal level.
“Today I also sent this letter to president Biden as well as Vice President Harris demanding that they classify Mexican drug cartels operating in Texas as terrorist organizations,” he said.
After noting that fentanyl overdose deaths are now the number one cause of death for 18-45 year old Americans, Abbott also said the Texas government is moving “to reclassify fentanyl overdoses as fentanyl poisoning.”
“We will be looking to elevate to murder the charge of anyone who knowingly provides fentanyl to someone who loses their life because of it,” he said.
An astonishing report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 108,000 Americans died as a result of fentanyl overdoses between Feb. 2021 to Feb. 2022.
Watch Abbott’s full press conference: