Page 14 - HOH

A4 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 5 december 2019

Barr set for Mexican meetings

as U.S. seeks cartel crackdown

By MICHAEL BALSAMO ganizations. Barr planned send asylum-seekers back
Associated Press to be in Mexico City on over the border to Mexico
WASHINGTON (AP) — At- Thursday for meetings with to wait while their claims
torney General William President Andrés Manuel are assessed under a pol-
Barr will meet with Mexico's López Obrador as well as icy designed to stop the
president and law enforce- the foreign minister, attor- flow of migrants into the
Attorney General William Barr listens as President Donald Trump ment officials about one ney general and others U.S. More than 55,000 peo-
speaks during an event to sign an executive order establishing week after President Don- in law enforcement, ac- ple have been stranded
the Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and ald Trump suggested that cording to a Justice De- in Mexico in deplorable
Alaska Natives, in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, the United States would partment official. Barr also conditions, some in areas
Nov. 26, 2019, in Washington. seek to classify Mexican was expected to meet marred by cartel violence.
Associated Press drug cartels as terrorist or- with Justice Department Some U.S. officials, such as
and American federal law Ken Cuccinelli, the acting
enforcement officials who deputy at the Homeland
work in Mexico. Security Department, have
The visit comes amid a se- claimed that the area is
ries of massacres in Mexico, safe and suggested that
which has seen its homi- criticism of Mexico is unfair.
cide rate increase to histor- Nine U.S. dual citizens were
ically high levels this year. slaughtered in northern
Critics have accused the Mexico last month, with
Mexican government of authorities suspecting that
lacking a coherent security drug cartel hit men may be
strategy. Last week, Trump responsible, and 22 people
suggested that the U.S. were killed in a weekend
government could move gun battle between drug
to label the cartels as for- cartel members and se-
eign terror organizations, a curity forces near the U.S.-
designation that would put Mexico border.
them in the same category The official spoke to The As-
as the Islamic State group sociated Press on condition
and al-Qaida. of anonymity to discuss the
Meanwhile, U.S. immigra- trip before it was publicly
tion officials continue to announced.q