Napolitano to McCain: Yes, Mexican Cartels Pose Terror Threat to U.S.

Under questioning by Sen. John McCain (R.-Ariz.) in the Senate Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano conceded that Mexican drug cartels pose a terrorist threat to the United States.In 2009, the U.S. Justice Department declared in its annual National Drug Threat Assessment that the Mexican drug cartels were “the greatest organized crime threat to the United States,” but the U.S. State Department has not listed those cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.Napolitano’s concession that Mexican drug cartels pose a terrorist threat to the United States came while she was testifying beside FBI Director Robert Mueller who told McCain that violence on the Mexican side of the border increased the “national security threat” to the United States, an assessment Napolitano shared.“Would you agree that the violence in Mexico has dramatically escalated in, say, the last three or four years?” McCain asked.“Yes,” said Mueller.“And would you say that, then, increases the national security threat on the other side of our border?” asked McCain.“Yes,” said Mueller. When McCain asked Napolitano if she agree with that, Napolitano said, “I think that’s right...more