President Donald Trump, who has frequently suggested he might use U.S. military force against the cartels in Mexico, currently has options to do so. Such a move would be unprecedented – the U.S. military has never directly attacked cartels in Mexico,

President Trump wants to deploy a blunt new tool to fight Mexican cartels that flood the U.S. with drugs, by adding them to a list of terrorist groups that includes the likes of al Qaeda and Hamas. The move could increase pressure on the cartels by directing more money to intelligence gathering.

As part of negotiations with the U.S. on Monday, Canada will designate cartels as terrorist organizations, prompting criticism from Mexico's president.