Silver State Times

Captain Sam Brown, a U.S. Senate candidate in Nevada, stated he will work towards designating Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) and "use the military to take them out." Brown gave his statement to the Silver State Times on July 1.

"When the cartel has the sophistication to map the tunnels they've made to funnel criminals into our country easier, we've already lost," said Sam Brown, GOP Candidate in Nevada for U.S. Senate. "Drug overdoses, increased crime, and increased sex trafficking are all the results of Jacky Rosen and Joe Biden's failure to lead. As your next Senator, I will work with President Trump to secure our border and always prioritize law-abiding citizens. The cartel will be labeled as a terrorist organization, and we will use the military to take them out."

According to News Nation, Mexican drug cartels are offering VIP smuggling packages for migrants making their way into the U.S. through the southern border. The cartels charge from $6,000 to $15,000 per person to cross into the U.S. La Línea cartel uses storm drain tunnels to smuggle approximately 1,000 migrants per month.

A Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) is a "legal designation the U.S. government uses to identify foreign organizations that engage in premeditated, politically motivated acts of terrorism against noncombatant targets," according to the Wilson Center. An FTO carries legal and financial implications. Mexican drug cartels are not currently on the FTO list. The three requirements of being an FTO are: (a) being a foreign organization, (b) an organization engaged in or has the capability and intent to engage in terrorist activity, and (c) the organization threatens U.S. nationals or national security.

The Wilson Center explains that the U.S. government can prosecute individuals acting in foreign countries not likely subject to U.S. criminal law; any U.S. financial institution aware of FTO-possessed funds must report it to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC); and any alien supporting, representing, training with, or being a member of an FTO is inadmissible and removable from the U.S. These actions fall under the responsibility of several agencies including the FBI, National Counterterrorism Center, Department of Justice, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the U.S. Treasury Department.

In February 2023, Jason S. Miyares, Attorney General of Virginia wrote a letter to the Biden Administration urging the President to declare Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. According to Miyares' letter, 100,000 Americans died from drug overdoses with 66% of these overdoses involving fentanyl trafficked into the U.S. via the southern border by cartels and their operatives. "The cartels’ intense violence goes far beyond mere resistance to interference with their drug trafficking and now encompasses a general effort to intimidate rivals and expand their influence," Miyares said. The letter was signed by 20 state Attorneys General.

Captain Sam Brown is a Purple Heart recipient and small business owner according to his website. He joined the U.S. Military Academy at West Point after the 9/11 attacks and is running for U.S. Senate in Nevada.