Mike Vigil, former Director of International Operations of the DEA, criticized the designation of Mexican criminal gangs as terrorists by the United States. According to him, this measure is just a "show" that President Trump uses to gain political support from the people, without having any real impact. Vigil considers the idea of a military intervention in Mexico absurd and emphasizes that the symbolic designation of terrorists aims to prevent these groups from entering the U.S., seize bank accounts, and sanction citizens with ties to those organizations. Additionally, he pointed out that the real threat to the United States is not the drug cartels or terrorist groups, but President Trump himself. He stated that Trump is destroying the country and attacking former allies such as Canada, Mexico, and Colombia, while showing affinity with Putin. Vigil highlighted that the designation of 70 organizations as terrorists in the past has not generated significant impact, as it is more of a symbolic category than concrete actions.
