Rubio Says Mexican Cartels are 'Terrorizing' America 'With Mass Migration And Flow Of Drugs'

President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Department of State, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, was grilled with questions by a group of bipartisan Senators on Wednesday, where he discussed a plethora of foreign relations issues plaguing the U.S. currently, including the flow of fentanyl and the influence of drug cartels.

"I hope I can earn your support, whether it's because you believe I would do a good job, or because you want to get rid of me," Rubio joked in testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he served for 14 years.

The Florida Sen., who has come to be known as a defender of democracy in Latin American countries like Venezuela, was questioned by Pennsylvania Sen. Dave McCormick, a fellow Republican, on his plans to curb the flow of fentanyl into the country and decrease the influence of Mexican drug cartels.

McCormick pointed out that over 4,000 Pennsylvanians die annually due to fentanyl— a cheap drug often illicitly manufactured in Mexico and sneaked into the U.S. As of October 2024, fatal overdoses of fentanyl dropped by 12.7%, according to data released from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That marked an improvement from September, when surveys showed roughly a 10.6% drop in fatalities from street drugs.

The Pennsylvania Senator also asked Rubio if he were to become Secretary of State, whether he would designate drug cartels, like the Jalisco and Sinaloa cartels in Mexico, a Foreign Terrorist Organization. Classifying these groups as terrorist organizations equips both federal and state law enforcement agencies with more aggressive tools to stop their influence.

"These are sophisticated, criminal enterprises. They are terrorizing the United States, but they are sophisticated criminal enterprises, and they operate in the trafficking of people, drugs and migrants to a horrifying effect," Rubio said. "Sadly, they also have, basically, operational control over huge swaths of the border regions between Mexico and the United States. That's just an unfortunate fact, and it's one we're gonna have to confront with our partners in Mexico."

"And whether [designating them as a Foreign Terrorist Organization] is the tool that we use, which it may be the appropriate one, or some new one that we come up with, it's important for us not just to go after these groups, but to identify them and call them for what they are, and that is terroristic in their nature, because they are terrorizing America with mass migration and with the flow of drugs," he continued.

Rubio's confirmation hearing is one of several taking place on Wednesday. Pam Bondi, Trump's choice for attorney general, is appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee simultaneously. Others include John Ratcliffe to be Director of the CIA, Chris Wright to be Energy secretary and Russel Vought for the Office of management and budget.